Menstrual Blood as a Diagnostic Specimen for Human Papillomavirus Genotyping and Genital Tract Infection Using Next-Generation Sequencing as a Novel Diagnostic Tool.

BACKGROUND: Menstrual blood (MB) is a convenient specimen type that can be self-collected easily and non-invasively by women. This study assessed the potential application of MB as a diagnostic specimen to detect genital tract infections (GTIs) and human papillomavirus (HPV) infections in women. METHOD: Genomic DNA was extracted from MB samples. Pacific Bioscience (Pacbio) 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) high-fidelity (HiFi) long-read sequencing and HPV PCR were performed. RESULTS: MB samples were collected from women with a pathological diagnosis of CIN1, CIN2, CIN3 or HPV infection. The sensitivity and positive predictive value (PPV) of high-risk HPV detection using MB were found to be 66.7%. A shift in vaginal flora and a significant depletion in Lactobacillus spp. in the vaginal microbiota communities were observed in the MB samples using 16S rDNA sequencing. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we demonstrated that MB is a proper diagnostic specimen of consideration for non-invasive detection of HPV DNA and genotyping using PCR and the diagnosis of GTIs using metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS). MB testing is suitable for all women who menstruate and this study has opened up the possibility of the use of MB as a diagnostic specimen to maintain women's health.

Converting inert plastic waste into energetic materials: A study on the light-accelerated decomposition of plastic waste with the Fenton reaction.

Better treatment and management strategies than landfilling are needed to address the large quantities of unrecycled plastic waste generated by daily human activities. Waste-to-energy conversion is an ideal benchmark for developing future large-scale waste management technologies. The present study explores a new approach for producing energetic materials by converting inert plastic waste into energy (thermal and mechanical energies) via a light-controlled process through the simple chemical activation of plastic waste, including polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyvinyl chloride. The inert and non-polar polymer surfaces of the plastics were modified by generating a number of sulfonic groups (SO3-) using chlorosulfuric acid, followed by grafting of Fe(III) catalyst onto the polymer chains to obtain activated polymer. Elemental analyses of these activated materials showed that the carbon-to-sulfur ratio ranged from 3:1 to 5:1. The FTIR spectra indicated the presence of CC bonds (vC=C: 1615-1630 cm-1) and SO bonds (vS=O: 1151-1167 cm-1) in the activated polymers after chemical reaction. These activated materials were energetic, as light could be used to convert them into thermal (1800-3200 J/g) and mechanical energies (380-560 kPa/g) using hydrogen peroxide as the oxidant under ambient conditions within 1 h.

Combined Chemical Activation and Fenton Degradation to Convert Waste Polyethylene into High-Value Fine Chemicals.

Plastic waste is a valuable organic resource. However, proper technologies to recover usable materials from plastic are still very rare. Although the conversion/cracking/degradation of certain plastics into chemicals has drawn much attention, effective and selective cracking of the major waste plastic polyethylene is extremely difficult, with degradation of C-C/C-H bonds identified as the bottleneck. Pyrolysis, for example, is a nonselective degradation method used to crack plastics, but it requires a very high energy input. To solve the current plastic pollution crisis, more effective technologies are needed for converting plastic waste into useful substances that can be fed into the energy cycle or used to produce fine chemicals for industry. In this study, we demonstrate a new and effective chemical approach by using the Fenton reaction to convert polyethylene plastic waste into carboxylic acids under ambient conditions. Understanding the fundamentals of this new chemical process provides a possible protocol to solve global plastic-waste problems.

Comparison of the different types of "laparoscopic total hysterectomy".

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To review the operative outcomes among different types of laparoscopic total hysterectomy (LH) classified according to the Munro and Parker classification system. DESIGN: Prospective observational cohort study (Canadian Task Force classification II). SETTING: 6 major public hospitals in Hong Kong. PATIENTS: 143 patients underwent LH in a 6-month period. INTERVENTIONS: Type I to type IV LH according to the Munro and Parker classification system. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We studied 56 type I, 49 type II, 25 type III, and 13 type IV LH. The median operative time was 105 minutes, which was significantly longer in the type IV LH group (160 minutes). The median blood loss was significantly higher in the type I LH group (300 mL). The incidence of urinary tract infection in type I LH was 8.9%, which was significantly higher than other LH groups. The overall operative complication rate was 20.3%, which was highest in the type III hysterectomy group (36%), although the difference did not reach statistical significance among the various types of hysterectomy groups. CONCLUSION: There has been a change from abdominal hysterectomy to LH in the past decades, and it is time for us to explore the best type of LH. Our findings suggest that type I LH is associated with significantly more blood loss and urinary tract infection; whereas type IV LH is associated with significantly longer operating time. However, we still cannot conclude which is the best type of LH until results from a randomized controlled trial will become available.