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Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is an effective alternative to surgery for managing some malignant solid tumors. However, for medium-to-large tumors (>3 cm), tumors adjacent to large blood vessels, and certain irregular tumors, sublethal radiofrequency hyperthermia (RFH) often produces a margin of ablated tumor owing to the "heat-sink" effect. This effect typically leaves behind viable residual tumors at the margin. Several studies have reported that a sublethal RFH can significantly enhance the efficacy of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and gene therapy for malignant solid tumors. The possible mechanisms by which RFH enhances these therapies include heat-induced tissue fracturing, increased permeability of the cytoplasmic membrane, exaggerated cellular metabolism, blockade of the repair pathways of radiation-damaged tumor cells, and activation of the heat shock protein pathways. Therefore, RFA in combination with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, or gene therapy may help reduce the rates of residual and recurrent tumors after RFA of malignant solid tumors., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Tungsten oxide ( W O 3 ) has been widely used in hydrogen sensing due to its stable chemical properties and high oxygen vacancy diffusion coefficient. However, the response of pure W O 3 to hydrogen is slow, and doping is an effective way to improve the hydrogen sensing performance of W O 3 materials. In this paper, W O 3 / P t / P E G / S i O 2 porous film was prepared by the sol-gel method using tungsten powder, H 2 O 2 and C 2 H 5 O H as precursors, polyethylene glycol (PEG) as the pore-forming agent, and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as the S i O 2 source material. The sensing properties of the W O 3 composite for hydrogen were characterized by a transmission optical fiber hydrogen sensing system made at home. The process parameters such as water bath time, aging time, W:PEG ratio, and W:TEOS ratio were optimized to improve the sensitivity and response time of the sensing film. The experimental results indicate that the sensitivity is 15.68%, the average response time is 45 s, and the repeatability is up to 98.74% in 16 consecutive tests. The linearity index R 2 is 0.9946 within the hydrogen concentration range of 5000 ppm to 50,000 ppm. The film responds only to H 2 when the concentration of interfering gases ( C H 4 , CO, C O 2 ) is 2000 ppm. The hydrogen sensing performance of the optimized film is significantly improved compared with that of the undoped film.

The roles of platelets/megakaryocytes (MKs), the key components in the blood system, in the tumor microenvironment and antitumor immunity are unclear. In patients with colorectal cancer, the number of platelets was significantly increased in patients with metastasis, and Erbin expression was highly expressed in platelets from patients with metastases. Moreover, Erbin knockout in platelets/MKs suppressed lung metastasis in mice and promoted aggregations of platelets. Mechanistically, Erbin-deficient platelets have increasing mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation and secrete lipid metabolites like acyl-carnitine (Acar) by abolishing interaction with prothrombotic protein ESAM. Notably, Acar enhanced the activity of mitochondrial electron transport chain complex and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in B cells by acetylation of H3K27 epigenetically. Targeting Erbin in platelets/MKs by a nanovesicle system dramatically attenuated lung metastasis in mice in vivo. Our study identifies an Erbin-mitochondria axis in platelets/MKs, which suppresses B cell-mediated antitumor immunity, suggesting a new way for the treatment of metastasis., Competing Interests: Declaration of interests The authors declared that they have no conflicts of interest to this work., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aims: Pleural effusion is not an infrequent complication in patients undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. However, there is not adequate data to evaluate pleural effusion and prognosis in clinical practice. In this study, we validated this potential association by a multicenter cohort., Methods: We screened 1,162 patients who met the inclusion criteria with PD. According to the existence of pleural effusion on stable dialysis (4-8 weeks after dialysis initiation), the participants were divided into pleural effusion and non-pleural effusion groups. The hazard ratios (HRs) of all-cause and cause-specific death were estimated with adjustment for demographic characteristics and multiple potential clinical confounders. Subgroup analysis and propensity score matching (PSM) were used to further verify the robustness of the correlation between hydrothorax and prognosis., Results: Pleural effusion was found in 8.9% (104/1162) of PD individuals. After adjusting for the confounding factors, patients with pleural effusion had significantly increased HRs for all-cause death was 3.06 (2.36-3.96) and cardiovascular death was 3.78 (2.67-5.35) compared to those without pleural effusion. However, it was not associated with infectious and other causes of death. After PSM, the HR of all-cause mortality was 3.56 (2.28-5.56). The association trends were consistent in the subgroup sensitivity analysis., Conclusion: Pleural effusion is not rare in PD, and is significantly associated with overall and cardiovascular mortality, which is independent of underlying diseases and clinically relevant indicators., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Zhang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

The aim was to assess epidemiological characteristics of the most recent consumption patterns of meat, vegetable, and fruit among representative urban and rural residents aged 60+ years in regional China. In this cross-sectional survey conducted in mid-2018, participants aged 60+ years were randomly chosen from urban and rural communities in Nanjing municipality of China. Meat, vegetable, and fruit intake were assessed with a validated food frequency questionnaire. Multivariate logistic regression models were applied to compute odds ratio (OR) and 95 % confidence interval (CI) to investigate the association of socio-demographic characteristics with a likelihood of meeting intake recommendation. Among the 20 867 participants, 49⋅5 % were men and 45⋅0 % urban elders, and 6⋅5 % aged 80+ years. The mean values of consumption frequency of red meat, white meat, vegetable, and fruit were 2⋅99 ± 2⋅28, 1⋅37 ± 1⋅13, 5⋅24 ± 6⋅43, and 2⋅64 ± 2⋅91 times/week, respectively, among overall participants. Moreover, there were 14⋅9, 23⋅7, and 12⋅1 % of participants meeting intake recommendations of meat, vegetable, and fruit, separately, in this study. After adjustment for potential confounders, age, gender, residence area, and educational attainment each was associated with the likelihood of meeting intake recommendation of meat, vegetable, or fruit. The consumption frequency and proportion of participants meeting intake recommendations of meat, vegetable, or fruit were not high among elders in regional China. Socio-demographic characteristics were associated with intake recommendations of meat, vegetables, and fruit. It has public health implications that participants' socio-demographic attributes shall be considered for precision intervention on meat, vegetable, and fruit consumption in healthy eating campaigns among elders in China., (© The Author(s) 2023.)

Objective: To investigate the efficacy of an injectable hydrogel loaded with lysed OK-432 (lyOK-432) and doxorubicin (DOX) for residual liver cancer after incomplete radiofrequency ablation (iRFA) of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and explore the underlying mechanism., Materials and Methods: The effect of OK-432 and lyOK-432 was compared in activating dendritic cells (DCs). RADA16-I (R) peptide was dissolved in a mixture of lyOK-432 (O) and DOX (D) to develop an ROD hydrogel. The characteristics of ROD hydrogel were evaluated. Tumor response and mice survival were measured after different treatments. The number of immune cells and cytokine levels were measured, and the activation of cGAS/STING/IFN-I signaling pathway in DC was evaluated both in vitro and in vivo., Results: LyOK-432 was more effective than OK-432 in promoting DC maturation and activating the IFN-I pathway. ROD was an injectable hydrogel for effectively loading lyOK-432 and DOX, and presented the controlled-release property. ROD treatment achieved the highest tumor necrosis rate (p < 0.001) and the longest survival time (p < 0.001) compared with the other therapies. The ROD group also displayed the highest percentages of DCs, CD4 + T cells and CD8 + T cells (p < 0.001), the lowest level of Treg cells (p < 0.001), and the highest expression levels of IFN-γ and TNF-α (p < 0.001) compared with the other groups. The expression levels of pSTING, pIRF3, and IFN-β in DCs were obviously higher after treatment of lyOK-432 in combination with DOX than the other therapies. The surviving mice in the ROD group showed a growth inhibition of rechallenged subcutaneous tumor., Conclusion: The novel ROD peptide hydrogel induced an antitumor immunity by activating the STING pathway, which was effective for treating residual liver cancer after iRFA of HCC., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Spermidine is a type of important growth regulator, which involved in the biosynthesis of photosynthetic pigments, and has the function of promoting cell proliferation. In this study, Isochrysis sp. was selected as the research object to explore the effects of spermidine supplementation on the growth of algal cells and fucoxanthin synthesis under different light intensities. The results showed that the cell density (5.40 × 10 6 cells/mL) of algae were the highest at 11 days under the light intensity of 200 μmol·m -2 ·s -1 and spermidine content of 150 μM. The contents of diadinoxanthin (1.09 mg/g) and fucoxanthin (6.11 mg/g) were the highest when spermidine was added under low light intensity, and the growth of algal cells and fucoxanthin metabolism were the most significant. In the carotenoid synthesis pathway, PDS (phytoene desaturase) was up-regulated by 1.96 times and VDE (violaxanthin de-epoxidase) was down-regulated by 0.95 times, which may promote fucoxanthin accumulation., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The prognosis of diabetic peritoneal dialysis patients is poor. HbA 1c serves as a crucial indicator for monitoring blood glucose control in patients with diabetes. Nevertheless, the relationship between visit-to-visit HbA 1c variability and prognosis in peritoneal dialysis with diabetes remains unclear., Methods: All participants were categorized into 3 groups based on the HbA 1c variability score (HVS), which is the frequency of 0.5% (5.5 mmol/mol) alter in visit-to-visit HbA 1c values. Then, the hazard ratio to HVS with all-cause mortality was analyzed using the Cox hazard model, followed by the Fine-Gray competing risk model for major adverse cardiovascular events. Subgroup and sensitivity analysis were conducted to ascertain the robustness of the findings., Results: Eight hundred twenty patients with type 2 diabetes were finally enrolled in this study from 2,855 participants with a mean age of 56.9 ± 14.6 years and a median follow-up time of 44 months [IQR: 27-70], death occurred in 496 (60.2%) individuals. Compared with the lowest category (HVS < 1/3) after being adjusted by potential confounding factors, the hazard ratio for all-cause mortality was 4.59 (3.74-5.64) and the sub-distribution hazard ratio for major adverse cardiovascular events was 1.91 (1.46-2.51) of the highest category (HVS ≥ 2/3). Subgroup interaction and sensitivity analysis, including the adjustment for variables such as time-weighted average HbA 1c , HbA 1c measurement times and expansion, confirmed the reliability of the results., Conclusion: The HVS is related to the risk of poor prognosis in peritoneal dialysis with type 2 diabetes mellitus, independently of clinical multiple variables, and is a novel indicator with clinical guidance., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Zeaxanthin is a carotenoid, a dihydroxy derivative of β-carotene. Zeaxanthin has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and neuroprotective properties. In this study, Yarrowia lipolytica was used as a host for the efficient production of zeaxanthin. The strain Y. lipolytica PO1h was used to construct the following engineered strains for carotenoid production since it produced the highest β-carotene among the Y. lipolytica PO1h- and Y. lipolytica PEX17-HA-derived strains. By regulating the key nodes on the carotenoid pathway through wild and mutant enzyme comparison and successive modular assembly, the β-carotene concentration was improved from 19.9 to 422.0 mg/L. To provide more precursor mevalonate, heterologous genes mvaE and mvaS MT were introduced to increase the production of β-carotene by 27.2% to the yield of 536.8 mg/L. The β-carotene hydroxylase gene crtZ was then transferred, resulting in a yield of zeaxanthin of 326.5 mg/L. The oxidoreductase RFNR1 and CrtZ were then used to further enhance zeaxanthin production, and the yield of zeaxanthin was up to 775.3 mg/L in YPD shake flask.

Astaxanthin is a high-value red pigment and antioxidant widely used in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic, and food industries. However, the hydrophobicity of astaxanthin causes its low bioavailability. Glycosylation can substantially increase the water solubility of astaxanthin, thus enhancing its bioavailability, photostability, and biological activities. In this study, we report for the first time the heterologous production of glycosylated astaxanthin in Yarrowia lipolytica . By appropriate removal of the chloroplast transit peptide, carotenoid 4-hydroxy-β-ring 4-dehydrogenase (HBFD) and carotenoid β-ring 4-dehydrogenase (CBFD) from Adonis aestivalis were expressed in a β-carotene-producing Y. lipolytica strain, resulting in astaxanthin production with a yield of 0.59 mg/L, 0.05 mg/g DCW. This is the first time to successfully construct a plant-derived astaxanthin synthesis pathway in yeast. Modularized assembly of CBFD and HBFD, replacement of the promoter upstream CBFD, increasing the precursor β-carotene supply, and regulating the expressions of CBFD and HBFD led to a 4.9-fold increase in astaxanthin production (3.46 mg/L). Finally, introduction of crtX from Pantoea ananatis ATCC 19321 into the astaxanthin-producing strain enabled glycosylated astaxanthin production, and the yield reached 1.47 mg/L, which is the highest yield of microbially produced glycosylated astaxanthin reported to date.

Orthobunyaviruses have been reported to cause severe diseases in humans or animals, posing a potential threat to human health and socio-economy. Ebinur lake virus (EBIV) is a newly classified orthobunyavirus, which can induce the histopathogenic change and even the high mortality of infected BALB/c mice. Therefore, it is needed to further study the viral replication and pathogenesis, and develop the therapies to cope with its potential infection to human or animals. Here, through the reverse genetics system, the recombinant EBIV of wild type (rEBIV/WT) and NP-conjugated-eGFP (rEBIV/eGFP/S) were rescued for the application of the high-content screening (HCS) of antiviral drug. The eGFP fluorescence signal of the rEBIV/eGFP/S was stable in the process of successive passage in BHK-21 cells (over 10 passages) and this recombinant virus could replicate in various cell lines. Compared to the wild type EBIV, the rEBIV/eGFP/S caused the smaller plaques (diameter around 1 mm on 3 dpi) and lower peak titers (10 5  PFU/mL), suggesting attenuation due to the eGFP insertion. Through the high-content screening (HCS) system, two antiviral compounds, ribavirin and favipiravir, which previously reported to have effect to some bunyavirus were tested firstly. Ribavirin showed an inhibitory effect on the rEBIV/eGFP/S (EC50 = 14.38 μM) as our expect, while favipiravir with no inhibitory effect even using high doses. Furthermore, Tyrphostin A9 (EC50 = 0.72 μM for rEBIV/eGFP/S, EC50 = 0.05 μM for EBIV-WT) and UNC0638 (EC50 = 1.26 μM for rEBIV/eGFP/S, EC50 = 1.10 μM for rEBIV/eGFP/S) were identified with strong antiviral effect against EBIV in vitro from 150 antiviral compounds. In addition, the time-of-addition assay indicated that Tyrphostin A9 worked in the stage of viral post-infection, and the UNC0638 in all pre-, co-, and post-infection stages. This robust reverse genetics system will facilitate the investigation into the studying of viral replication and assembly mechanisms, and the development of drug and vaccine for EBIV in the future., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Airway inflammation and remodeling are critical pathological changes in asthma, and macrophage activation plays a vital role in this process. Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) reduces airway inflammation by affecting macrophages in asthma. This study aimed to investigate the potential benefit and underlying mechanism of the SIRT1 agonist bergenin as a treatment for asthma. We performed in vivo and in vitro experiments by establishing a Sirt1 fl/fl -LysMcre mouse asthma model and using the alveolar macrophage-like cell line MH-S, respectively. Our results show that Sirt1 fl/fl -LysMcre asthmatic mice exhibited more severe airway inflammation and airway remodeling than wild-type mice. As an activator of SIRT1, bergenin attenuated asthmatic airway pathology and reduced production of interleukins 1β, IL-5, IL-6, and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) in wild-type asthmatic mice. However, the therapeutic effects of bergenin were significantly attenuated in Sirt1 fl/fl -LysMcre asthmatic mice or following coadministration with the SIRT1 inhibitor EX-527. Further experiments showed that activation of SIRT1 by bergenin deacetylates nuclear factor κB and hinders its nuclear translocation, thereby affecting IL-1β, IL-5, IL-6, and MMP-9 production by regulating transcriptional activity. Our study suggests that bergenin can improve asthma-induced airway inflammation and remodeling by activating SIRT1 in macrophages., Competing Interests: Author GZ is employed by Guangdong Keguanda Pharmaceutical Technology Co Ltd. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Huang, Sun, Chen, Bai, Zhao, Wang, Geng, Huang, Zhao, Wu, Zhang, Wu and Xu.)

Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

The global impact of mosquito-borne diseases has increased significantly over recent decades. Ebinur Lake virus (EBIV), a newly classified orthobunyavirus, is reported to be highly pathogenic in adult mice. The evaluation of vector competence is essential for predicting the arbovirus transmission risk. Here, Aedes aegypti was applied to evaluate EBIV infection and dissemination in mosquitos. Our experiments indicated that Ae. aegypti had the possibility to spread EBIV (with a transmission rate of up to 11.8% at 14 days post-infection) through biting, with the highest viral dose in a single mosquito's saliva reaching 6.3 plaque-forming units. The highest infection, dissemination and ovary infection rates were 70%, 42.9%, and 29.4%, respectively. The high viral infection rates in Ae. aegypti ovaries imply the possibility of EBIV vertical transmission. Ae. aegypti was highly susceptible to intrathoracic infection and the saliva-positive rate reached 90% at 10 days post-infection. Transcriptomic analysis revealed Toll and Imd signaling pathways were implicated in the mosquito's defensive response to EBIV infection. Defensin C and chitinase 10 were continuously downregulated in mosquitoes infected via intrathoracic inoculation of EBIV. Comprehensive analysis of the vector competence of Ae. aegypti for EBIV in laboratory has indicated the potential risk of EBIV transmission through mosquitoes. Moreover, our findings support a complex interplay between EBIV and the immune system of mosquito, which could affect its vector competence., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

The Bunyavirales contain many important human pathogens that lack an antiviral therapy. The cap-snatching endonuclease (EN) of segmented negative-strand RNA viruses is an attractive target for broad-spectrum antivirals due to its essential role in initiating viral transcription. L-742,001, a previously reported diketo acid inhibitor against influenza virus EN, demonstrated potent EN inhibition and antiviral activity on various bunyaviruses. However, the precise inhibitory mechanism of the compound is still poorly understood. We recently characterized a highly active EN from Ebinur Lake virus (EBIV), a newly identified member of the Orthobunyavirus genus, and obtained its high-resolution structures, paving the way for structure-guided inhibitor development. Here, nine L-742,001 derivatives were designed and synthesized de novo , and their structure-activity relationship with EBIV EN was studied. In vitro biochemical data showed that the compounds inhibited the EBIV EN activity with different levels and could be divided into three categories. Five representative compounds were selected for further cell-based antiviral assay, and the results largely agreed with those of the EN assays. Furthermore, the precise binding modes of L-742,001 and its derivatives in EN were revealed by determining the high-resolution crystal structures of EN-inhibitor complexes, which suggested that the p -chlorobenzene is essential for the inhibitory activity and the flexible phenyl has the greatest exploration potential. This study provides an important basis for the structure-based design and optimization of inhibitors targeting EN of segmented negative-strand RNA viruses. IMPORTANCE The Bunyavirales contain many important human pathogens such as Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus and Lassa virus that pose serious threats to public health; however, currently there are no specific antiviral drugs against these viruses. The diketo acid inhibitor L-742,001 is a potential drug as it inactivates the cap-snatching endonuclease (EN) encoded by bunyaviruses. Here, we designed and synthesized nine L-742,001 derivatives and assessed the structure-activity relationship using EN of the newly identified Ebinur Lake virus (EBIV) as a research model. Our results revealed that the p -chlorobenzene of this broad-spectrum EN inhibitor is crucial for the inhibitory activity and the flexible phenyl "arm" has the best potential for further optimization. As cap-snatching ENs are present not only in bunyaviruses but also in influenza viruses, our data provide important guidelines for the development of novel and more potent diketo acid-based antiviral drugs against those viruses.

The cap-snatching endonuclease (EN) of segmented negative-strand RNA viruses (sNSVs) produces short capped primers for viral transcription by cleaving the host mRNAs. EN requires divalent metals as cofactors for nucleic acid substrates cleavage; however, the detailed mechanism of metal ion-dependent catalysis of ENs remains obscure. In this work, we reported the EN crystal structure of the Ebinur Lake virus (EBIV), an emerging mosquito-borne orthobunyavirus, and investigated its enzymatic properties and metal ion-based catalytic mechanism. In vitro biochemical data showed that EBIV EN is a specific RNA nuclease and prefers to cleave unstructured uridine-rich ssRNA. Structural comparison indicated that the overall structural architecture of EBIV EN is similar to that of other sNSV ENs, while the detailed active site configuration including the binding state of metal ions and the conformation of the LA/LB loop pair is different. Based on sequence conservation analysis, nine active site mutants were constructed, and seven crystal structures of them were determined. Mutations of active site residues associated with the two metal ions (Mn1 and Mn2) coordination abolished EN activity. Crystallographic analyses further revealed that none of these mutants bound two metal ions simultaneously in the active site. Importantly, we found that the perturbation of Mn1-coordination (metal site 1), resulted in the enhancement or elimination of Mn2-coordination (metal site 2). Taken together, our data provide structural evidence to support the two-metal-ion catalytic mechanism of EBIV EN and the correlation of metal binding at the two binding sites, which may be commonly shared by bunyaviruses or other sNSVs. IMPORTANCE The viral endonucleases (ENs) encoded by bunyaviruses and orthomyxoviruses play an essential role in initiating transcription by "snatching" capped primers from the host mRNAs. These ENs are metal-ion-dependent nucleases; however, the details of their catalytic mechanism remain elusive. Here, we reported high-resolution crystal structures of the wild-type and mutant ENs of a novel bunyavirus, the Ebinur Lake virus (EBIV), and revealed the structure and function relationship of EN. The EBIV EN exhibited differences in the details of active site structure compared to its homologues. Our data provided structural evidence to support a two-metal-ion catalytic mechanism of EBIV EN, and found the correlation of metal binding at both binding sites, which might reflect the dynamic structural properties that correlate to EN catalytic function. Taken together, our results revealed the structural characteristics of EBIV EN and made important implications for understanding the catalytic mechanism of cap-snatching ENs.

Background: Migraine is a primary neurological disorder associated with complex brain activity. Recently, mounting evidence has suggested that migraine is underpinned by aberrant dynamic brain activity characterized by linear and non-linear changes across a variety of time scales. However, the abnormal dynamic brain activity at different time scales is still unknown in patients with migraine without aura (MWoA). This study aimed to assess the altered patterns of brain activity dynamics over different time scales and the potential pathophysiological mechanisms of alterations in patients with MWoA., Methods: Multiscale entropy in 50 patients and 20 healthy controls (HCs) was calculated to investigate the patterns and altered brain complexity (BC) across five different time scales. Spearman rank correlation analysis between BC in regions showing significant intergroup differences and clinical scores (i.e., frequency of migraine attacks, duration, headache impact test) was conducted in patients with MWoA., Results: The spatial distribution of BC varied across different time scales. At time scale1, BC was higher in the posterior default mode network (DMN) across participants. Compared with HCs, patients with MWoA had higher BC in the DMN and sensorimotor network. At time scale2, BC was mainly higher in the anterior DMN across participants. Patients with MWoA had higher BC in the sensorimotor network. At time scale3, BC was mainly higher in the frontoparietal network across participants. Patients with MWoA had increased BC in the parietal gyrus. At time scale4, BC is mainly higher in the sensorimotor network. Patients with MWoA had higher BC in the postcentral gyrus. At time scale5, BC was mainly higher in the DMN. Patients with MWoA had lower BC in the posterior DMN. In particular, BC values in the precuneus and paracentral lobule significantly correlated with clinical symptoms., Conclusion: Migraine is associated with alterations in dynamic brain activity in the sensorimotor network and DMN over multiple time scales. Time-varying BC within these regions could be linked to instability in pain transmission and modulation. Our findings provide new evidence for the hypothesis of abnormal dynamic brain activity in migraine., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Wang, Zhang, Qi, Xu, Wang, Liao, Wang, Liu, Yu, He, Gao, Li, Zhang and Zhao.)

A gas-solid separation fluidized bed, which belongs to dry separation and can save a lot of water resources, is an important method for coal quality improvement. The effect of regional blockage of the air distributor on the fluidization effect was investigated by varying the blockage area and fluidization gas velocity, and the influence law of blockage of an air distributor on bed stability was revealed. In this paper, the micro-differential pressure sensor is used as a testing tool to analyze the regional characteristics of the fluidized bed blockage hole. The results show that when the air distributor is plugged, the standard deviations of the pressure fluctuation are largest at a height of 100 mm, all reaching more than 2.0, and that the pressure fluctuation at the bottom is greater than that at the top. When the plugged area fraction increases from 1/8 to 1/2, the density fluctuation range at the bottom of the plugged area decreases from 0.2 to 0.04 g/cm 3 , while the range of influence increases from 10 to 16 cm axially. With the increase of fluidization gas velocity, the mixing effect of particles is improved to an extent, and the range of the affected zone is gradually reduced., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest., (© 2022 The Authors. Published by American Chemical Society.)

Orthobunyaviruses are a group of viruses with significant public and veterinary health importance. These viruses are mainly transmitted through mosquito-, midge-, and tick-vectors, and are endemic to various regions of the world. Ebinur Lake virus (EBIV), a newly identified member of Orthobunyavirus , was isolated from Culex mosquitoes in Northwest China. In the present study, we aimed to characterize the pathogenesis and host immune responses of EBIV in BALB/c mice, as an animal model. Herein, we determined that BALB/c mice are highly susceptible to EBIV infection. The infected mice exhibited evident clinical signs including weight loss, mild encephalitis, and death. High mortality of mice was observed even with inoculation of one plaque-forming unit (PFU) of EBIV, and the infected mice succumbed to death within 5-9 days. After EBIV challenge, rapid viremic dissemination was detected in the peripheral tissues and the central nervous system, with prominent histopathologic changes observed in liver, spleen, thymus, and brain. Blood constituents' analysis of EBIV infected mice exhibited leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and significantly elevated ALT, LDH-L, and CK. Further, EBIV infection induced obvious cytokines changes in serum, spleen, and brain in mice. Collectively, our data describe the first study that systematically examines the pathogenesis of EBIV and induced immune response in an immunocompetent standard mouse model, expanding our knowledge of this virus, which may pose a threat to One Health., Competing Interests: GZ was employed by the company Xinjiang Heribase Biotechnology Co., Ltd. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Zhao, Luo, Huang, Yu, Dong, Mwaliko, Atoni, Nyaruaba, Yuan, Zhang, Bente, Yuan and Xia.)

Background and objective: Long-term aspirin use for the primary prevention of cancer remains controversial, and variations in the effect of aspirin use on cancer outcomes by aspirin dose, follow-up duration, or study population have never been systematically evaluated. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of aspirin on primary cancer prevention and to determine whether the effect differed according to aspirin dose, follow-up duration, or study population. Materials and methods: Seven electronic databases were searched from inception to September 30, 2019. Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that compared aspirin use versus no aspirin use in participants without pre-existing cancer and reported cancer outcomes were selected. Data were screened and extracted by different investigators. Analyses were performed using Review Manager 5.3 and Comprehensive Meta-Analysis 2.0. Total cancer incidence was defined as the primary clinical endpoint. Total cancer mortality, all-cause mortality, major bleeding, and total bleeding events were the secondary outcomes. Subgroup analyses were conducted based on aspirin dose, follow-up duration, and study populations. Results: Twenty-nine RCTs that randomized 200,679 participants were included. Compared with no aspirin, aspirin use was not associated with significant reductions in total cancer incidence (RR = 1.01, 95% CI: 0.97 to 1.04, P = 0.72), total cancer mortality (RR = 1.00, 95% CI: 0.93 to 1.07, P = 0.90), or all-cause mortality (RR = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.94 to 1.02, P =0.31); however, aspirin use was associated with a 44% increase in the risk of major bleeding (RR = 1.44, 95% CI: 1.32 to 1.57, P < 0.00001) and a 52% increase in the risk of total bleeding events (RR = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.33 to 1.74, P < 0.00001). Subgroup analyses demonstrated consistent results. Conclusions: Long-term aspirin use in individuals without pre-existing cancer was not associated with a significant reduction in total cancer incidence, cancer mortality, or all-cause mortality; however, aspirin use was associated with a significant increase in the risk of bleeding. Therefore, aspirin is not an appropriate choice for the primary cancer prevention., Competing Interests: Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interest exists., (© The author(s).)

Single-phased and dual-emissive nanocrystals with broad emission are attractive fluorescent materials for optoelectronic devices due to their unique properties. Until now, the effect of different metallic cations and inorganic anions on III-V group quantum dots (QDs) concerning luminescence features and crystalline growth has been less explored. In this work, dual-emissive InP/ZnS QDs single-doped with transition-metal compounds (Cu 2+ , Ag + , or Mn 2+ ) are synthesized to compare their optical and morphological properties. The corresponding doping concentrations to realize dual emission with comparative intensity for Cu, Ag, and Mn are 0.8, 6, and 80%, which vary greatly and might be attributed to different precursor reactivities. As for the morphological and internal structures, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images indicate that transition-metal ions have no obvious effect on the morphological properties and a higher concentration of chloride anions binding with an In-rich interface could conduce to a homogeneous distribution and triangular growth through the comparison of different metal chlorides as precursors. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) results further demonstrate that the high-resolution In 3d spectrum of Mn-doped InP/ZnS QDs with MnCl 2 is mainly dominated by In-P bonds, indicating fewer intermediate chemical states. These results concerning well-defined InP/ZnS QDs could promote more diverse insight into surface chemistry and help to better understand the growth mechanism, thus making it possible to regulate InP/ZnS QDs into desired formats for different practical applications like white light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

The liver plays a pivotal role in maintaining euglycemia. Biogenesis and function of mitochondria within hepatocytes are often the first to be damaged in a diabetic population, and restoring its function is recently believed to be a promising strategy on inhibiting the progression of diabetes. Previously, we demonstrated that the gut microbiota metabolite butyrate could reduce hyperglycemia and modulate the metabolism of glycogen in both db/db mice and HepG2 cells. To further explore the mechanism of butyrate in controlling energy metabolism, we investigated its influence and underlying mechanism on the biogenesis and function of mitochondria within high insulin-induced hepatocytes in this study. We found that butyrate significantly modulated the expression of 54 genes participating in mitochondrial energy metabolism by a PCR array kit, both the content of mitochondrial DNA and production of ATP were enhanced, expressions of histone deacetylases 3 and 4 were inhibited, beta-oxidation of fatty acids was increased, and oxidative stress damage was ameliorated at the same time. A mechanism study showed that expression of GPR43 and its downstream protein beta-arrestin2 was increased on butyrate administration and that activation of Akt was inhibited, while the AMPK-PGC-1alpha signaling pathway and expression of p-GSK3 were enhanced. In conclusion, we found in the present study that butyrate could significantly promote biogenesis and function of mitochondria under high insulin circumstances, and the GPR43- β -arrestin2-AMPK-PGC1-alpha signaling pathway contributed to these effects. Our present findings will bring new insight on the pivotal role of metabolites from microbiota on maintaining euglycemia in diabetic population., Competing Interests: There is no conflict of interest that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of the research reported., (Copyright © 2020 Tingting Zhao et al.)

In recent years, rapidly increasing trade and travel across the China-Kazakhstan border has increased the potential risk of the introduction and exportation of vectors and their related diseases. The Ebinur Lake Nature Reserve is located in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, near the China-Kazakhstan border, with a suitable ecosystem for mosquito breeding. In our previous work, a novel Orthobunyavirus species named Ebinur Lake virus (EBIV) was isolated in the reserve. To gain insights into the potential risk of EBIV in this region, we conducted a study that aimed to clearly outline EBIV's biological characteristics and its human seroprevalence in this region. Phylogenetically, the analysis of all three segments of EBIV demonstrated that it belongs to the genus Orthobunyavirus , which is clustered in the Bunyamwera serogroup. EBIV replicated efficiently and caused cytopathic effects (CPEs) in vertebrate cells. The survival rates of the EBIV-challenged mice were 0 and 20% when inoculated with viral concentrations ≥10 4 or 10 2 plaque-forming units, respectively. For EBIV-infected mice, internal bleeding and pathological changes were observed. In addition, the overall immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibody [1:4 by immunofluorescence assay (IFA)], immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody (1:10 by IFA), and neutralizing antibody [90% plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT)] prevalence was 8.05, 12.3, and 0.95%, respectively, in the studied residents. In summary, EBIV is a new member of the Bunyamwera serogroup and is able to competently infect cells derived from mosquitoes, rodents, monkeys, or humans. Furthermore, EBIV caused severe disease and even death in challenged Kunming mice, and the antibodies against EBIV have been detected in local residents, indicating that the virus is a potential animal or human pathogen., (Copyright © 2020 Xia, Liu, Zhao, Sun, Zheng, Atoni, Hu, Zhang, Zhang and Yuan.)

All-inorganic CsPbX 3 (X = Cl, Br, and I) perovskite quantum dots (QDs), an emerging type of luminescent materials, have drawn extensive attention in recent years. However, the amelioration of their stability is becoming a critical issue. Herein, we present a facile and efficient approach to prepare novel perovskite QDs/metal-organic frameworks (CsPbX 3 /ZIF-8) composites under ambient-atmospheric conditions. The obtained composites exhibit better properties including high photoluminescence (PL) quantum yields (QYs) (41.2% for green and 34.8% for red), narrow-band emission (20 nm for green and 31 nm for red), and enhanced stability in comparison to bare QDs. Furthermore, their application in a remote-type white-light-emitting device was explored and a wide color gamut (~137% of the National Television System Committee standard) was achieved, verifying that these novel luminescent composites have great prospect in backlight display application., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

The tunable photoluminescence (PL) of nitrogen-doped carbon dots (NCDs) has attracted much attention in recent years while the specific mechanism is still in dispute. Herein, NCDs with yellow emission were successfully synthesized via a facile hydrothermal approach. Three kinds of post-treatment routes were investigated to verify the influence of surface states on the PL emission of NCDs including solvent-dependent, reduced-reaction and metal-enhanced effect. The interaction mechanism was studied by absorption spectrum, structural characterizations, steady-state and time-resolved spectroscopy. When dispersed in different solvents, the as-prepared NCDs show tunable emission and PL enhancement attributed to hydrogen bonding between solvents and NCDs. Besides, the addition of NaBH 4 can induce the reduction of the C=O bonds existing in original NCDs to C-O bonds and thus result in the enhancement of the intrinsic (n-π*) emission. Moreover, metal-enhanced fluorescence of NCDs can also be observed when adding Ag + into initial NCD solution, which might be ascribed to aggregation-induced emission enhancement. These results for post-treated NCDs demonstrate that surface functional groups are responsible for PL emission and provide new possibilities like multi-image sensing and lighting application.

In this letter, dual-emissive and color-tunable Mn-doped InP/ZnS quantum dots (Mn:InP/ZnS QDs) with the absolute photoluminescence quantum yield (PL QY) up to 78% were successfully synthesized via a growth-doping method. The dual emission of Mn:InP/ZnS QDs is composed of intrinsic emission and Mn-doped emission, which can be tuned by different Mn/In ratios. With the increase of Mn dopant concentration, the intrinsic emission shows a red shift from 485 to 524 nm. The new class of dual-emissive QDs provides potential for future application in white LED.

In this work, transition metal ion- doped zinc-based quantum dots (QDs) are synthesized via a greener controllable method to avoid the toxicity of the traditional cadmium-based QDs and broaden the tunable emission. Herein, the tunable emission of Cu-doped ZnInS/ZnS core-shell QDs (Cu:ZnInS/ZnS) can cover from 500 to 620nm by varying the Cu dopant concentration from 1 to 20% and the maximum quantum yield can reach 49.8%. Based on the single-doped QDs, Cu,Mn co-doped ZnInS/ZnS core-shell QDs (Cu,Mn:ZnInS/ZnS) with a photoluminance (PL) quantum yield of 30.4% are obtained. All the as-synthesized QDs have the zinc blende structure and the average size is about 3.55nm. Besides, the interaction mechanism between the Cu and Mn dopant luminescence centers is proposed in this work, which is rarely investigated in the previous report. Diffusion priority and energy transfer between these two dopants are supposed to play an important role in the co-doped QDs and Cu ions could affect the splitting of Mn d states. Color coordinates of these doped QDs show the line-tunability from (0.200, 0.397) to (0.408, 0.508) on the Commission Internationale de L'Eclairage (CIE) chromatic diagram, showing a promising potential in high-quality white light output by integration of these QDs with blue chips., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: There is very little information on the costs of different surgeries for displaced femoral neck fractures. This study aimed to compare the costs between internal fixation and hemiarthroplasty (HA) in the treatment of displaced femoral neck fracture., Method: A total of 142 patients aged 65 years or older who had been randomized into internal fixation group (n = 70) or HA group (n = 72) were followed for 2 years. Cost data was collected through hospitalization information, cost diary and telephone interview. Sensitivity analysis was performed for missing diaries. The total costs were collected and compared between the two groups., Results: All diaries were completed by 69.7% of patients. The mean costs of primary treatment were significantly lower for internal fixation (CNY 21,631) compared with HA (CNY 51,641) (p < 0.001). The mean post-discharge costs were similar for both procedures: CNY 37,377 for internal fixation and CNY 34,981 for HA (p = 0.640). The mean total costs for internal fixation were CNY 59,008, which was significantly lower than the mean total costs of CNY 86,622 for HA (p = 0.002)., Conclusion: Although the post-discharge costs of internal fixation were slightly higher, the total costs were still lower than for HA due to great variance in costs of primary treatment. In China, internal fixation may be less costly than HA for displaced femoral neck fracture treatment., (Copyright © 2016 The Japanese Orthopaedic Association. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Until the recent emergence/re-emergence of human-pathogenic viruses in ticks, tick-borne viruses have been neglected as causative agents of human disease (particularly in China). To gain insight into the diversity of tick-borne viruses in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (northwestern China), we conducted illumina deep sequencing-based screening for virus-derived small RNAs in field-collected Ixodes persulcatus ticks. We found 32, 631 unique virus-matched reads. In particular, 77 reads mapped to the tick-borne group within the genus of Flavivirus, and covered 3.8%-2.4% viral genomes. In addition, 32 unique reads were specific to the Siberian subtype of tick-borne encephalitis viruses (TBEV-Sib) which have never been reported in Chinese TBE loci. We confirmed the potential existence of TBEV-Sib by amplification (using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) of genomic fragments from the envelope gene or 3' genomic terminus from the pools of examined ticks. Both sequences demonstrated high homology to TBEV-Sib strains attached geographically to southern Siberia with nucleotide identity of 97.2%-95.5% and aminoacid identity of 99.4%-98.3%, respectively. In conclusion, we report, for the first time, detection of TBEV-Sib in the natural TBE loci of China. These novel data may provide genetic information for further isolation and epidemiologic investigation of TBEV-Sib.

Objective: To study the co-infection of tick-borne pathogens in Ixodes persulcatus collected in Charles Hilary, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region (Xinjiang)., Methods: Ticks were collected by flagging in grassy areas in Charles Hilary, Xinjiang from June 2012 to June 2013. The 5S-23S rRNA intergenic region from Borrelia (B.) burgdorferi, 16S rRNA gene from Anaplasma, ompA gene from spotted fever group Rickettsia, com1 gene from Coxiella (C.) burneti and Nss-rRNA gene from Babesia were amplified with nested polymerase chain reaction (nested PCR) , respectively., Results: Among 204 Ixodes persulcatus, 104 were positive for tick-borne pathogens with the positive rate of 50.98%, and among them the positive rates of B. burgdorferi, spotted fever group Rickettsia and Anaplasma phagocytophilum were 34.31% (n=70), 28.92% (n=59), 9.31% (n=19) , respectively. And no C. burnetii and Babesia were detected. The overall co-infection rate was 19.12% (39/204), the co-infection rate was 16.18% (33/204) for B. garinii and spotted fever group Rickettsia, 4.90% (10/204) for B. burgdorferi and Anaplasma phagocytophilum, 2.94% (6/204) for spotted fever group Rickettsia and Anaplasma phagocytophilum and 2.45% (5/204) for B. burgdorferi, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and spotted fever group Rickettsia., Conclusion: The results indicated that the natural co-infections of B. garinii, B. afzelii, Anaplasma phagocytophilum and spotted fever group Rickettsia existed in Charles Hilary Ixodes persulcatus collected in Xinjiang.

Objective: To analyze the total cost and life quality of the femoral neck fracture patients who received different surgery and supplement comprehensive data of osteoporotic fracture., Methods: One hundred and five patients above 60-year old who were diagnosed femoral neck fracture and received operation in Department of Orthopedics ＆ Traumatology, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital were admitted into our study from August 2013 to December. According to the type of surgery there were 52 and 53 cases in internal fixation (IF) group and hemiarthroplasty (HA) group respectively. At first we collected the medical expense of the patients before and during hospitalization. And then the 1-year medical and non-medical expenses were collected by the cost diary ever 3 months after discharge. At the last follow-up we evaluated the life quality by the EuroQol-5 Dimensions (EQ-5D) and calculated the total cost. Outcome All the patients completed the operation successfully. No nonunion or delayed union cases in IF group, and no cases received revision surgery in both groups. The total average cost was 59 584.9 yuan including 79.1% medical cost and 20.9% non-medical cost. The primary treatment cost accounts for 84.1% of the medical cost. The cost for home care accounts for 90.7% of the non-medical care. The total and medical cost of IF group just account for 40.3% and 38.5% of the HA group and the non-medical showed no significant difference between the 2 groups (P>0.05). In addition the data of life quality and walking capability also showed no significant difference., Conclusion: The main cost for the femoral neck fracture is medical expense in 1-year follow-up. Both surgeries can provide satisfactory outcome, however IF may be more cost-effective compared to the HA because of the less total cost.

Objective: To analyze the causes of back pain after vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty., Methods: 1 863 patients with back pain who underwent vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty from Jan. 2004 to Dec. 2014 in Department of Spine Surgery, Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, were followed up for least 3 months after surgery with their back pain evaluated by VAS scores. Related information including preoperative, operative and postoperative factors was gathered. The VAS at last follow-up over 5 or the symptom relief less than 50% was considered as non-relieved, the correlations between the symptom relief and potential influencing factors were analyzed by the Spearman correlation., Results: Symptom relief was only correlated with postoperative complications (P<0.001). The back pain in 283 cases (15.2%) had not been relieved. Among them, 87 cases got fractures in other vertebrae (adjacent vertebrae in 67 cases, non-adjacent vertebrae in 20 cases); 3 cases got nonunion in the operated vertebrae; 1 case got postoperative infection; 6 cases got misdiagnosis and the other 186 cases had no known causes for the unrelieved pain., Conclusions: Postoperative back pain after vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty may have variable causes, and some of which have not been entirely understood. If the symptoms are not alleviated or even aggravate after active symptomatic treatment and anti-osteoporotic therapy, underlying causes such as re-fracture, nonunion, infection, pathologic fracture should be sought out.

Objective: To detect potential mutations in genes related with non-syndromic oculocutaneous albinism I-IV and ocular albinism type I in two couples who had given births to children with albinism., Methods: All exons of the non-syndromic albinism related genes TYR, OCA2, TYRP-1, MITF, SLC45A2 and GPR143 were subjected to deep sequencing. The results were verified with Sanger sequencing., Results: For the two female carriers, the coding region of the TYR gene was found to harbor a frameshift mutation c.925&#95;926insC, which was also suspected to have been pathogenic. In one of the male partners, a nonsense mutations c.832C>T was found, which was also known to be pathogenic. Another male partner was found to harbor a TYR gene mutation c.346C>T, which was also known to be a pathogenic nonsense mutation., Conclusion: The coding region of the TYR gene c.925&#95;926insC (p.Thr309ThrfsX9) probably underlies the OCA1 disease phenotype.

Purpose: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of three-dimensional (3D) navigation-guided polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)-augmented thoracic and lumbar pedicle screw fixation for the osteoporotic patients., Methods: 27 consecutive osteoporosis patients with a variety of spinal disorders who underwent 3D navigation-guided PMMA-augmented pedicle screw fixation were evaluated clinically and radiologically in the perioperative and 1-year follow-up period. The improvement of Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores was analyzed. PMMA leakage and other complications were inspected intraoperatively and postoperatively. Screw loosening and bone fusion were evaluated radiographically during follow-up., Results: 8 patients had thoracic and lumbar fractures; 18 patients had degenerative spinal disorders; one patient had revision surgery. One patient died of postoperative pneumonia. Each of the other 26 patients was followed up regularly at 3, 6, 12 and 18 months postoperatively. The mean therapeutic improvement rate is 39.6% evaluated by JOA scores. 2 patients (7.4%) had leakage into the spinal canal in front of the posterior longitudinal ligament and two patients (7.4%) had leakage into the prevertebral soft tissue inspected by the postoperative CT scans. No pedicle cortex breach and cement leakage surrounding pedicle cortex were observed. None of patients complained of dyspnoea and showed evidence of pulmonary embolism. Bone fusions were found in 20 patients (bony fusion rate 76.9%) at the 12-month follow-up and no screw loosening occurs., Conclusion: The results show favorable outcome using 3D navigation-guided PMMA-augmented thoracic and lumbar pedicle screw fixation for the osteoporosis patients both clinically and radiologically.

The morphology, microstructure, and chemical composition of a variety of particles emitted from coal-fired power plants, steel plants, and vehicle exhausts, which are possible sources of particulate matter (PM) in the atmosphere, were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and compared with particle samples collected from urban atmosphere to identify the best footprint or the suitable indicator relating the existence of studied particles and their possible emitters by the morphology, microstructure, and chemical composition of the particles. The investigation indicated that the particles from these three sources are different in morphology, microstructure, and chemical composition. Sphere aggregates were generally the most abundant components, with silicon and aluminum as major elements. The urban air particulate contained particles similar to those observed in the power plant, steel plant, and vehicle exhaust samples suggesting that all three sources are contributing to the pollution in the city.

Objective: To monitor and discover medically important mosquito-borne viruses circulating in Xinjiang, China., Methods: Mosquitoes were collected from Abbey Lake wetland in Bortala, in Northern Xinjiang. Viral isolates were obtained through inoculating and serial passaging into susceptible mammalian host cells (BHK-21), identified by cytopathogenic effect (CPE) observation and plague forming assay. Genetic identification of viral isolates was conducted by RT-PCR, sequencing and phylogenetic analysis., Results: A virus strain which causing CPE on BHK-21 cells, was isolated from the predominant Culex modestus (36.6%) and tentatively designated as Abbey Lake virus. Information on molecular identification revealed that Abbey Lake virus belonged to Orthobunyavirus genus within Bunyaviridae. Partial sequences (651 bp and 980 bp) of viral genomic S and M segment showed that Abbey Lake virus was phylogenetically related to Germiston virus that uniquely found in South Africa with 90.6% nucleotides and 95.0% amino acids similarities in S segment. However, viral M segment displayed much variability with 78.6% nucleotides and 86.1% amino acid similarities, suggesting a new member of Orthobunyavirus genus was discovered in the area., Conclusion: In this study, Abbey Lake virus was isolated and characterized indicating its potential circulation nature of this newly-emerged mosquito-borne virus.

The Orthobunyavirus genus of Bunyaviridae is a divergent group of medically important pathogens. Abbey Lake bunyavirus (Ab-BUNV) was newly isolated and identified in Xinjiang Province, northwestern China. The complete genome of Ab-BUNV was sequenced and is reported here, revealing that Ab-BUNV may represent a novel genotype in the genus Orthobunyavirus., (Copyright © 2014 Liu et al.)

Background: The peculiar and highly variable C2 anatomy can make screw fixation more challenging and prone to potential vertebral artery or neurologic injury. Conventional C-arm fluoroscopy has several drawbacks. The aim of this research was to evaluate the accuracy of posterior C2 screw fixation using intraoperative three-dimensional fluoroscopy-based navigation (ITFN) and assess the perioperative complication rate related to screw placement., Methods: A retrospective review identified patients who underwent operative management with C2 instruments using ITFN at our hospital between January 2006 and December 2012. Clinical data were obtained from medical records and final screw positions were graded according to a modified classification of Gertzbein and Robbins. Grade A and B screws were considered well positioned., Results: The study included 99 patients (53 males and 46 females) who underwent posterior C2 screw fixation using ITFN. The mean Japan Orthopedic Association score improved from (6.7 ± 1.9) points before surgery to (12.5 ± 2.7) points at 6-month follow-up (z = +8.628, P < 0.01). The mean visual analogue scale improved from (4.1 ± 1.2) points before surgery to (0.7 ± 0.9) points at 6-month follow-up, with an improvement of 83.7% (z = 8.638, P < 0.01). Of the 196 screws analyzed using computed tomography and chart review, 126 transarticular, 64 pedicle, and 6 pars screws were placed with 82.5% (104/126), 89.1% (57/64), and 100% (6/6) accuracy (grade A), respectively; 98.5% (193/196) of screws were grade A or B (grade C, 1.5% (3/196)), and no neurologic injuries occurred. In normal C2 cases, 93 transarticulars and 47 pedicles were placed with high accuracy rates of 90.3% (84/93) and 93.6% (44/47) (grade A), respectively. However, in cases with C2 deformity, 33 transarticular, 17 pedicle, and 6 pars screws were placed with only 60.6% (20/33), 76.5% (13/17), and 100% (6/6) accuracy (grade A), respectively., Conclusion: ITFN is a safe, accurate, and effective tool for posterior C2 fixation.

Analyzing and understanding the effects of ambient pollution on plants is getting more and more attention as a topic of environmental biology. A method based on synchrotron radiation X-ray fluorescence and X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy was established to analyze the sulfur concentration and speciation in mature camphor tree leaves (CTLs), which were sampled from 5 local fields in Shanghai, China. Annual SO2 concentration, SO4(2-) concentration in atmospheric particulate, SO4(2-) and sulfur concentration in soil were also analyzed to explore the relationship between ambient sulfur sources and the sulfur nutrient cycling in CTLs. Total sulfur concentration in mature camphor tree leaves was 766-1704 mg/kg. The mainly detected sulfur states and their corresponding compounds were +6 (sulfate, include inorganic sulfate and organic sulfate), +5.2 (sulfonate), +2.2 (suloxides), +0.6 (thiols and thiothers), +0.2 (organic sulfides). Total sulfur concentration was strongly correlated with sulfate proportion with a linear correlation coefficient up to 0.977, which suggested that sulfur accumulated in CTLs as sulfate form. Reduced sulfur compounds (organic sulfides, thiols, thioethers, sulfoxide and sulfonate) assimilation was sufficed to meet the nutrient requirement for growth at a balanced level around 526 mg/kg. The sulfate accumulation mainly caused by atmospheric sulfur pollution such as SO2 and airborne sulfate particulate instead of soil contamination. From urban to suburb place, sulfate in mature CTLs decreased as the atmospheric sulfur pollution reduced, but a dramatic increase presented near the seashore, where the marine sulfate emission and maritime activity pollution were significant. The sulfur concentration and speciation in mature CTLs effectively represented the long-term biological accumulation of atmospheric sulfur pollution in local environment.

Refractive-index (phase-contrast) radiology was able to detect lung tumors less than 1 mm in live mice. Significant micromorphology differences were observed in the microradiographs between normal, inflamed, and lung cancer tissues. This was made possible by the high phase contrast and by the fast image taking that reduces the motion blur. The detection of cancer and inflammation areas by phase contrast microradiology and microtomography was validated by bioluminescence and histopathological analysis. The smallest tumor detected is less than 1 mm(3) with accuracy better than 1 × 10(-3) mm(3). This level of performance is currently suitable for animal studies, while further developments are required for clinical application.

Objective: To compare the acute toxicity and content of daphnoretin among extracts of unprocessed indian string-bush root and its two different processed products, and to provide a basis for discussion of the mechanism of two processed methods., Method: Extracts of unprocessed indian stringbush root and processed indian stringbush root with "sweat" and "artificial sweat" were prepared. The mice were intragastrically administrated once with these three extracts, the mortalities of mice were observed, and the median lethal dose (LD50) of different extracts were calculated with Bliss method. The determination of daphnoretin in these three samples was performed by high performance liquid chromatography., Result: The LD50 of indian stringbush root extracts, indian stringbush root processed with "sweat" and with "artificial sweat" were 46.678, 72.190, 67.953 g x kg(-1), respectively. The contents of daphnoretin in unprocessed indian stringbush root, indian stringbush root processed with "sweat" and with "artificial sweat" were 0.189%, 0.407% and 0.345%, respectively., Conclusion: The toxicity of indian stringbush root processed with both "sweat" and "artificial sweat" is lower than that of the original rude drug. But the decreasion of toxicity of processed products is not by the reduced daphoretin content.

Lead (Pb) is a highly toxic element to the human body. After phasing out of leaded gasoline we find that the blood lead level of children strongly correlates with the lead concentration in atmospheric particles, and the latter correlates with the coal consumption instead of leaded gasoline. Combined with the (207)Pb/(206)Pb ratio measurements, we find that the coal consumption fly ash is a dominate source of Pb exposure to children in Shanghai, rather than vehicle exhaust, metallurgic dust, paint dust, and drinking water. Those particles are absorbed to children's blood via breathing and digesting their deposition on ground by hand-to-mouth activities. Probably the same situation occurs in other large cities of developing countries where the structure of energy supply is mainly based on coal-combustion.

Although the need for policy development on arsenic (As) in rice has been recognized and a legally enforceable maximum contaminant level (MCL) for inorganic arsenic (As(i)) in rice has been established in China, evidence reported in this article indicates that the risk of exposure to As for the Chinese population through rice is still underestimated. Polished rice from various production regions of China was analyzed for total As and arsenic species using HPLC-ICPMS. Total As concentration ranged 65.3-274.2 ng g(-1), with an average value of 114.4 ng g(-1). Four arsenic species, including arsenite (As(III)), arsenate (As(V)), dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) and monomethylarsonic acid (MMA), were detected in most rice samples. The As(i) (As(III) + As(V)) species was predominant, accounting for approximately 72% of the total As in rice, with a mean concentration of 82.0 ng g(-1). In assessing the risk from As in rice, we found that As intake for the Chinese population through rice is higher than from drinking water, with a 37.6% contribution to the maximum tolerable daily intake (MTDI) of As recommended by World Health Organization (WHO), compared with 1.5% from drinking water. Compared to other countries, the risk for the Chinese from exposure to As through rice is more severe due to the large rice consumption in China. Therefore, not only the scientific community but also local authorities should take this risk seriously. Furthermore, more stringent legislation of the MCL for rice should be enacted to protect the Chinese consumer from a high intake of As.

A source apportionment method based on individual particle analysis carried out using a synchrotron X-ray fluorescence microprobe was developed for source apportionment of lead in fine particulate matter. Mass contributions of every emission source were obtained by intensity ratios of the characteristic X-ray spectrum of lead in individual airborne particles. The validity of the method was evaluated. The uncertainty of the source apportionment was estimated, which was within 10% in this work. The method was applied to the apportionment of lead in fine airborne particles of Shanghai, indicating that the method has a finer performance for source apportionment.

The Pb-monitoring program was extended for 6 years from 2002 to 2007 at 17 representative urban sites (6 traffic, 5 industrial, and 6 residential sites), and 3 suburban sites to assess the lead pollution in fine particulate matter (PM2.5) after phasing out leaded gasoline in Shanghai. Compared with Pb levels reported in other places, the Pb pollution in Shanghai is still serious after phasing out leaded gasoline, which remains at high concentration range (213-176 ng/m3) in PM2.5 in winter. Significant spatial variation of Pb concentrations and strong seasonal variation of higher Pb concentration in winter than that in summer were detected. The size distribution of Pb in particulate matter has a unimodal mode that peaks at approximately 0.154-1.59 microm particle diameter, indicating that Pb is mainly concentrated in fine fraction. Lead in the fine fraction is enriched by a factor of 10(3)-10(4) relative to Pb abundance in crust. Eight categories of Pb pollution sources were identified in the PM2.5 in the winter of 2007 in Shanghai. The important emission sources among them are vehicle exhaust derived from combustion of unleaded gasoline, metallurgic industry emission, and coal combustion emission.

PM(2.5) samples were collected in Shanghai at four sites with different typical land-uses. The sampling was done concurrently once per month from April 2004 to April 2005, and the ambient mass concentration, the elemental composition and the stable lead isotope ratios in these PM(2.5) samples were determined. The annual average concentrations of PM(2.5) samples at each site were 84+/-30, 65+/-20, 55+/-18, and 41+/-10 microg m(-3), respectively, indicating there were severe air pollution levels in Shanghai. The enrichment factor was calculated for each element and the comparison and discussion of elements with significant anthropogenic contributions between Shanghai and Tokyo suggested that the major source of PM(2.5) in Shanghai was not traffic-derived emissions, but the stationary industrial contribution emitted from coal use. Moreover, the analysis of stable lead isotope ratios revealed only a slight difference within the samples at the four sites which fell well within the scope of coal composition difference, further confirming that the contribution from stationary industrial emissions to atmospheric lead pollution of PM(2.5) was very substantial in Shanghai.

In the present study the feasibility of applying synchrotron radiation to the morphological study of early-stage lung cancer has been investigated. Lewis lung cancer was implanted and grown in a nude mouse for different periods, and imaged using phase-contrast synchrotron X-rays. Morphological differences were clearly shown between the normal lung and cancerous tissues at this early stage. Irregular and tortuous angiogenesis were found in the periphery region of the developing lung cancer. Results from this study indicate that synchrotron X-rays can be used for imaging cancer development and progression with minimal invasion.

PM(2.5) samples were collected simultaneously at three representative areas (central city, industrial area and clean air suburban) of Shanghai City. Their morphologies and elemental compositions were determined by scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy analysis (SEM-EDX). The particles were classified into four groups based on morphology and elemental composition. Soot aggregates and spherical fly ash particles were the two dominant types and they were identified as originating from automobile exhaust, metallurgical industry and coal combustion. The size distribution of the particles showed that most had diameters in the range of 0.2-1.4 microm. Individual particles were measured by synchrotron radiation micro-beam X-ray fluorescence (micro-SXRF) and the micro-SXRF spectra were obtained. Pattern recognition techniques, which took the micro-SXRF spectrum of a single aerosol particle as its fingerprint, were used to identify the origins of the particles. Seven source types were identified. They were: metallurgical industry, vehicle exhaust, soil dust, coal combustion, diesel exhaust, oil combustion and motorcycle exhaust. Metallurgical industry, automobile exhaust, and coal combustion were recognized to be the main pollution sources of PM(2.5) in the air of Shanghai City.