The differences in cytokine signatures between severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS).

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) virus and hantavirus are categorized under the Bunyavirales order. The severe disease progression in both SFTS and hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) is associated with cytokine storms. This study aimed to explore the differences in cytokine profiles and immune responses between the two diseases. A cross-sectional, single-center study involved 100 participants, comprising 46 SFTS patients, 48 HFRS patients, and 6 healthy controls. The study employed the Luminex cytokine detection platform to measure 48 cytokines. The differences in cytokine profiles and immune characteristics between the two diseases were further analyzed using multiple linear regression, principal component analysis, and random forest method. Among the 48 cytokines tested, 30 showed elevated levels in SFTS and/or HFRS compared to the healthy control group. Furthermore, there were 19 cytokines that exhibited significant differences between SFTS and HFRS. Random forest analysis suggested that TRAIL and CTACK were predictive of SFTS, while IL2Ralpha, MIG, IL-8, IFNalpha2, HGF, SCF, MCP-3, and PDGFBB were more common with HFRS. It was further verified by the receiver operating characteristic with area under the curve >0.8 and P-values <0.05, except for TRAIL. Significant differences were observed in the cytokine profiles of SFTS and HFRS, with TRAIL, IL2Ralpha, MIG, and IL-8 being the top 4 cytokines that most clearly distinguished the two diseases. IMPORTANCE: SFTS and HFRS differ in terms of cytokine immune characteristics. TRAIL, IL-2Ralpha, MIG, and IL-8 were the top 4 that differed markedly between SFTS and HFRS.

Coordination-Polymer-Derived Cu-CoO/C Nanocomposite Used in Fenton-like Reaction to Achieve Efficient Degradation of Organic Compounds.

In this paper, carbon-matrix-supported copper (Cu) and cobaltous oxide (CoO) nanoparticles were obtained by using coordination polymers (CPs) as a precursor. The aqueous solutions of copper methacrylate (CuMA) and cobalt methacrylate (CoMA) were preferentially prepared, which were then mixed with anhydrous ethanol to fabricate dual metal ion coordination polymers (CuMA/CoMA). After calcination under an argon atmosphere, the Cu-CoO/C nanocomposite was obtained. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) showed that the material has banded morphology, and the dual functional nanoparticles were highly dispersed in the carbon matrix. The prepared material was used in a heterogeneous Fenton-like reaction, with the aim of replacing traditional ferric catalysts to solve pH constraints and the mass production of ferric slime. The obtained nanocomposite showed excellent catalytic performance on the degradation of methylene blue (MB) at near-neutral conditions; the discoloration efficiency is about 98.5% within 50 min in the presence of 0.15 mmol/mL H2O2 and 0.5 mg/mL catalyst. And good reusability was verified via eight cycles. The plausible pathway for MB discoloration and the possible catalytic mechanism was also proposed.

Evaluation of reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for the detection of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome in clinical laboratories: A single-center study.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an acute infectious disease prevalent in East Asia with a high mortality rate (5%-30%). Reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP), a rapid nucleic acid-based diagnostic technique, is a useful alternative for the clinical diagnosis of SFTS, particularly in resource-limited hospitals or rural clinics in SFTS virus-endemic regions. However, the actual clinical sensitivity and specificity of RT-LAMP remain unclear. This study evaluated the field application of RT-LAMP. This prospective field study included 130 patients with laboratory-confirmed SFTS from Yantai, Shandong Province, China. Two sets of RT-LAMP primers were validated, and one set of RT-LAMP assays was optimized for field detection. Nucleic acids of serially collected serum/plasma samples were identified using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and RT-LAMP. In laboratory tests, we optimized the detection time of primer set 2 for the RT-LAMP to 60 min. Notably, the onsite testing of 279 plasma samples from patients with SFTS revealed that the sensitivity and specificity of the test were 81.9% and 96.3%, respectively. We also analyzed samples with different durations of the disease, and our study showed that the sensitivity of RT-LAMP detection at the beginning of admission was 89.92%. Univariate analysis showed that the detection rate of RT-LAMP was similar to that of RT-qPCR in the first 5 days of the disease course and was lower than that of RT-qPCR on Days 6 and 14-15 of the disease course. The positive detection rate in patients aged ≥ 65 years was significantly higher than that in younger age groups. RT-LAMP is a simple, suitable, and rapid clinical detection method of SFTS onsite screening. It is more suitable for screening patients in the early stages of the disease and analyzing samples obtained from patients aged ≥ 65 years before the 6th day of the disease course.

Clinical efficacy of low-dose glucocorticoid therapy for critically ill patients with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome: A retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether glucocorticoids can improve clinical outcomes of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) patients, and how to identify patients who may benefit from the treatment. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed to include patients with confirmed SFTS from designated hospitals. The effect of glucocorticoids in reducing case fatality rate (CFR) and improving clinical recovery was evaluated by multivariate logistic regression models. RESULTS: A total of 2478 eligible patients were analyzed, of whom 331 received glucocorticoids. An integrated parameter (L-index) based on Log10(lactate dehydrogenase*blood urea nitrogen/lymphocyte count) was constructed to discriminate disease severity. In patients with L-index >3.823 indicating severe SFTS, significantly reduced CFR was observed in patients receiving low-moderate glucocorticoid doses with ≤60 mg daily methylprednisolone or equivalent (odds ratio [OR] 0.46, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.23-0.88), but not in patients receiving high doses. In patients with L-index ≤3.823 indicating mild SFTS, glucocorticoid treatment was significantly associated with increased CFR (OR 3.34, 95% CI, 1.35-9.51), and mainly attributable to high-dose glucocorticoids (OR 2.83, 95% CI, 1.72-4.96). Disaggregated data analysis revealed a significant effect only in patients ≤65 years old, male, and early admission within 7 days after onset, but not in their counterparts. CONCLUSION: Glucocorticoids are not recommended for mild patients defined by L-index <3.823; however, patients with severe SFTS may benefit from low-moderate doses of glucocorticoids.

Coinfections in hospitalized patients with severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome: A retrospective study.

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging tick-borne disease with a high case fatality rate. Few studies have been performed on bacterial or fungal coinfections or the effect of antibiotic therapy. A retrospective, observational study was performed to assess the prevalence of bacterial and fungal coinfections in patients hospitalized for SFTSV infection. The most commonly involved microorganisms and the effect of antimicrobial therapy were determined by the site and source of infection. A total of 1201 patients hospitalized with SFTSV infection were included; 359 (29.9%) had microbiologically confirmed infections, comprised of 292 with community-acquired infections (CAIs) and 67 with healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Death was independently associated with HAIs, with a more significant effect than that observed for CAIs. For bacterial infections, only those acquired in hospitals were associated with fatal outcomes, while fungal infection, whether acquired in hospital or community, was related to an increased risk of fatal outcomes. The infections in the respiratory tract and bloodstream were associated with a higher risk of death than that in the urinary tract. Both antibiotic and antifungal treatments were associated with improved survival for CAIs, while for HAIs, only antibiotic therapy was related to improved survival, and no effect from antifungal therapy was observed. Early administration of glucocorticoids was associated with an increased risk of HAIs. The study provided novel clinical and epidemiological data and revealed risk factors, such as bacterial coinfections, fungal coinfections, infection sources, and treatment strategies associated with SFTS deaths/survival. This report might be helpful in curing SFTS and reducing fatal SFTS.

Occurrence of polycyclic aromatic compounds and potentially toxic elements contamination and corresponding interdomain microbial community assembly in soil of an abandoned gas station.

Bacteria, archaea and fungi usually coexist in various soil habitats and play important roles in biogeochemical cycle and remediation of contamination. Despite their significance, their combined bioassembly pattern, ecological interactions and driving factors in contaminated soils still remain obscure. To fill the gap, a systemic investigation on the characteristics of microbial community including bacteria, archaea and fungi, assembly patterns and environmental driving factors was conducted in an abandoned gas station soils which were contaminated by polycyclic aromatic compounds and potentially toxic elements for decades. The results showed that the soils were contaminated excessively by benzo[a]pyrene (0.46-2.00 mg/kg) and Dibenz[a,h]anthracene (0.37-1.30 mg/kg). Multitudinous contaminant-degrading/resistant microorganisms and unigenes were detected, indicating potential of the soils to mitigate the pollution. Compared with fungi and archaea, the bacteria had higher community diversity and were more responsive to seasonal shifts. Functional genes (nidB, nahAb, nahAa, adhP, adh, adhC, etc.) involved in biodegradation were highly enriched in summer (1.96% vs 1.80%). The co-occurrence network analysis showed summer communities exhibit a more robust network structure and positive interactions than winter communities. The fungi Neocucurbitaria, Penicillium, Fusarium, Chrysosporium, Knufia, Filobasidium, Wallemia and Rhodotorula were identified as the keystone taxa, indicating that fungi also had important positions in the interdomain molecular ecological networks of both seasons. The network topological properties and |ßNTI| (66.7%-93.3% greater than 2) results indicated the deterministic assembly processes of the microbial communities in the contaminated soil. Acenaphthylene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, indeno[1,2,3-cd]perylene, benzo[g,h,i]pyrene and 9-fluorenone were the key environmental factors driving the deterministic assembly processes of the interdomain microbial community in the contaminated soil. These findings extended our knowledge of interdomain microbial community assembly mechanisms and ecological patterns in natural attenuation and provide valuable guidance in associated bioremediation strategies.

Vertical distribution characteristics and interactions of polycyclic aromatic compounds and bacterial communities in contaminated soil in oil storage tank areas.

Polycyclic aromatic compound (PAC) contamination in soil as a result of oil spills is a serious issue because of the huge global demand for fossil energy. This study assessed the vertical variation in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), derivatives of PAHs (dPAHs) and bacterial community structure in deep soil with long-term contamination by oil spillage. Our results suggest that the content of total PACs ranged from 1196.6 µg/kg to 14980.9 µg/kg and decreased with depth at all sites. PAHs were the most abundant PACs, with a mean concentration of 6640.7 µg/kg, followed by oxygenated PAHs (mean 156.3 µg/kg) and nitrated PAHs (mean 33.4 µg/kg). PAHs are mainly low molecular weight PACs such as naphthalene, fluorene and phenanthrene, while derivatives of PAHs are all low molecular weight PACs and mainly oxygenated PAHs. Low molecular weight PAHs were an important source of dPAHs under specific conditions. The bacterial community structure showed higher bacterial diversity and lower bacterial richness in shallow soil (2-6 m in depth) than in deep soil (8-10 m in depth). Spearman's analysis confirmed that dramatic bacterial community shifts are a response to contamination. At the genus level, the presence of PACs highly selected for Pseudomonas, belonging to Proteobacteria. Moreover, functional predictions based on Tax4Fun revealed that soil with long-term contamination had a strong potential for PAC degradation. In addition, statistical analysis showed that oxidation-reduction potential (Eh) was closely related to variations of bacterial community composition and function. Finally, Ramlibacter, Pseudomonas, Pseudonocardia, c_MB-A2-108, f_Amb-16S-1323, and Qipengyuania were identified by cooccurrence network analysis as keystone taxa contributing to the maintenance of bacterial ecological function. Together, our results provide evidence of tight bacterial effects of PAHs and dPAHs and a more complete understanding of the fate of PACs in deep contaminated soils.

Occurrence of polycyclic aromatic compounds and interdomain microbial communities in oilfield soils.

Soil polycyclic aromatic compound (PAC) pollution as a result of petroleum exploitation has caused serious environmental problems. The unclear assembly and functional patterns of microorganisms in oilfield soils limits the understanding of microbial mechanisms for PAC elimination and health risk reduction. This study investigated the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and substituted PAHs (SPAHs) occurrence, and their impact on the bacteria-archaea-fungi community diversity, co-occurrence network and functionality in the soil of an abandoned oilfield. The results showed that the PAC content in the oilfield ranged from 3429.03 µg kg-1 to 6070.89 µg kg-1, and risk assessment results suggested a potential cancer risk to children and adults. High molecular weight PAHs (98.9%) and SPAHs (1.0%) contributed to 99.9% of the toxic equivalent concentration. For microbial analysis, the abundantly detected degraders and unigenes indicated the microbial potential to mitigate pollutants and reduce health risks. Microbial abundance and diversity were found to be negatively correlated with health risk. The co-occurrence network analysis revealed nonrandom assembly patterns of the interdomain microbial communities, and species in the network exhibited strong positive connections (59%). The network demonstrated strong ecological linkages and was divided into five smaller coherent modules, in which the functional microbes were mainly involved in organic substance and mineral component degradation, biological electron transfer and nutrient cycle processes. The keystone species for maintaining microbial ecological functions included Marinobacter of bacteria and Neocosmospora of fungi. Additionally, benzo [g,h,i]pyrene, dibenz [a,h]anthracene, indeno [1,2,3-cd]perylene and total phosphorus were the key environmental factors driving the assembly and functional patterns of microbial communities under pollution stress. This work improves the knowledge of the functional pattern and environmental adaptation mechanisms of interdomain microbes, and provides valuable guidance for the further bioremediation of PAC-contaminated soils in oilfields.

Pilot-scale bioaugmentation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-contaminated soil using an indigenous bacterial consortium in soil-slurry bioreactors.

Soil-slurry bioreactor based bioremediation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) contaminated soil was studied through laboratory and pilot-scale trials, in which the degradation mechanism was explored. Indigenous PAH-degrading consortium was firstly screened out and it degraded 80.5% of total PAHs in lab-scale bioreactors. Then a pilot-scale trial lasting 410 days was conducted in two bioreactors of 1.5 m3 to examine the operating parameters and validate the optimum running conditions. During the initial 200 days, the crucial running parameters affecting PAH removal were evaluated and selected. Subsequently, an average PAH removal rate of 93.4% was achieved during 15 consecutive batches (210 days) under the optimum running conditions. The kinetic analysis showed that the reactor under optimum conditions achieved the highest PAH degradation rate of 0.1795 day-1 and the shortest half-life of 3.86 days. Notably, efficient mass transfer of PAHs and high biodegradation capability by bioaugmented consortia in soil-slurry bioreactors were two key mechanisms for appreciable PAH removal performance. Under the optimal operating conditions, the degradation rate of low-molecular-weight (LMW) PAHs was significantly higher than high-molecular-weight (HMW) PAHs; when the mass transfer was limited, there was no significant difference between their degradation behaviors. Both microbial co-metabolism and collaborative metabolism might occur when all PAHs demonstrated low degradation rates. The findings provide insightful guidance on the future assessment and remediation practices of PAH-contaminated sites.

Microbial diversity and co-occurrence patterns in deep soils contaminated by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).

Numerous studies have enriched our knowledge of the microbial community composition and metabolic versatility of contaminated soil. However, there remains a substantial gap regarding the bioassembly patterns of the indigenous microbial community distribution in contaminated deep soils. Herein, the indigenous microbial community structure diversity, function, and co-occurrence relationships in aged PAH-contaminated deep soil collected from an abandoned chemical facility were investigated using high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that the dominant phyla in all samples were responsible for PAH degradation and included Proteobacteria (20.86%-81.37%), Chloroflexi (2.03%-28.44%), Firmicutes (3.06%-31.16%), Actinobacteria (2.92%-11.91%), Acidobacteria (0.41%-12.68%), and Nitrospirae (0.81%-9.21%). Eighty biomarkers were obtained by linear discriminant analysis of effect size (LEfSe), and most of these biomarkers were PAH degraders. Functional predictions using Tax4Fun indicated that the aged contaminated soil has the potential for PAH degradation. Statistical analysis showed that in contrast with the PAH concentration, edaphic properties (nutrients and pH) were significantly correlated (r > 0.25, P < 0.01) with the bacterial community and functional composition. Co-occurrence network analysis (modularity index of 0.781) revealed non-random assembly patterns of the bacterial communities in the PAH-contaminated soils. The modules in the network were mainly involved in carbon and nitrogen cycles, organic substance degradation, and biological electron transfer processes. Microbes from the same module had strong ecological linkages. Additionally, SAR202 clade, Thermoanaerobaculum, Nitrospira, and Xanthomonadales, which were identified as keystone species, played an irreplaceable role in the network. Overall, our results suggested that environmental factors such as nutrients and pH, together with ecological function, are the main factors driving the assembly of microbial communities in aged PAH-contaminated deep soils.

Effects of an external magnetic field on microbial functional genes and metabolism of activated sludge based on metagenomic sequencing.

This study explored the effect of 70-mT magnetic field on wastewater treatment capacity for activated sludge in long-term laboratory-scale experiments. Metagenomic sequencing were conducted based on Illumina HiSeq 2000 platform after DNA extraction of the activated sludge. Then the effect of the magnetic field on the microbial unigene and metabolic pathways in activated sludge was investigated. As a result, higher pollutant removal was observed at 70 mT, with which the elimination of total nitrogen (TN) was the most effective. Functional genes annotated based on eggNOG database showed that unigenes related to information storage and processing were enhanced by the magnetic field. For CAZy classification, category such as glycosyl transferases was more abundant in the reactor with magnetic field, which has been shown to promote the entire energy supply pathway. Additionally, in the KEGG categories, unigenes related to signaling molecules and interaction were significantly inhibited. Through the enrichment analysis of the nitrogen metabolism pathway, the magnetic field inhibited anabolic nitrate reduction by significantly inhibiting enzymes such as [EC:1.7.7.2], [EC:1.7.7.1], [EC:3.5.5.1], [EC:1.4.1.2] and [EC:4.2.1.1], which are related to the improvement of the denitrification ability. This study can provide insight for future research on the response mechanism of activated sludge to magnetic fields.

Post relocation of industrial sites for decades: Ascertain sources and human risk assessment of soil polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

As a persistent organic pollutant, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) may still residually pollute industrial sites after relocation. This study investigated the contamination status of PAHs in the topsoils of three industrial legacy sites (the Shougang industrial ruins, the original Beijing coking plant area, and an abandoned gas station) that relocated more than 10 years ago from downtown Beijing. The sources of PAHs in the soil were qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed, and health risks were evaluated for different groups of people. The total concentration of 16 PAHs in the study area ranged from 371.1 ng g-1 to 4073.9 ng g-1. The pollution levels of the three study areas were abandoned gas station > Beijing coking plant > Shougang ruins. In terms of composition, low-ring aromatics accounted for the majority of the detected PAHs, and in the dry season, low-ring aromatics accounted for a higher proportion in the three areas than in the wet season. The comparison of the PAH diagnostic ratio and PMF model verification showed that the sources of PAHs in the Shougang ruins and the Beijing coking plant area were mainly those of biomass and coal combustion, accounting for 66.3% and 56.1% of the total detected PAHs, respectively; the PAH sources of the abandoned gas station storage tank area were largely that of petrol (33.9%) and diesel combustion (23.8%). Since these industrial sites were located in urban centers, this study also conducted a health risk assessment of the topsoil. The total carcinogenic risk range of the three contaminated sites was 1.41E-06 to 2.47E-05. Abandoned industrial sites have potential carcinogenic risks to human health. The government needs to conduct comprehensive risk assessments and remedial measures on soils of industrial legacy sites to achieve land reuse.

Platelet desialylation is a novel mechanism and a therapeutic target in thrombocytopenia during sepsis: an open-label, multicenter, randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Studies in murine models suggested that platelet desialylation was an important mechanism of thrombocytopenia during sepsis. METHODS: First, we performed a prospective, multicenter, observational study that enrolled septic patients with or without thrombocytopenia to determine the association between platelet desialylation and thrombocytopenia in patients with sepsis, severe sepsis, and septic shock. Gender- and age-matched healthy adults were selected as normal controls in analysis of the platelet desialylation levels (study I). Next, we conducted an open-label randomized controlled trial (RCT) in which the patients who had severe sepsis with thrombocytopenia (platelet counts ≤50 × 109/L) were randomly assigned to receive antimicrobial therapy alone (control group) or antimicrobial therapy plus oseltamivir (oseltamivir group) in a 1:1 ratio (study II). The primary outcomes were platelet desialylation level at study entry, overall platelet response rate within 14 days post-randomization, and all-cause mortality within 28 days post-randomization. Secondary outcomes included platelet recovery time, the occurrence of bleeding events, and the amount of platelets transfused within 14 days post-randomization. RESULTS: The platelet desialylation levels increased significantly in the 127 septic patients with thrombocytopenia compared to the 134 patients without thrombocytopenia. A platelet response was achieved in 45 of the 54 patients in the oseltamivir group (83.3%) compared with 34 of the 52 patients in the control group (65.4%; P = 0.045). The median platelet recovery time was 5 days (interquartile range 4-6) in the oseltamivir group compared with 7 days (interquartile range 5-10) in the control group (P = 0.003). The amount of platelets transfused decreased significantly in the oseltamivir group compared to the control group (P = 0.044). There was no difference in the overall 28-day mortality regardless of whether oseltamivir was used. The Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score and platelet recovery time were independent indicators of oseltamivir therapy. The main reason for all of the mortalities was multiple-organ failure. CONCLUSIONS: Thrombocytopenia was associated with increased platelet desialylation in septic patients. The addition of oseltamivir could significantly increase the platelet response rate, shorten platelet recovery time, and reduce platelet transfusion. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, ChiCTR-IPR-16008542 .

[Treatment Efficiency and Microbial Community Diversity in a Magnetic Field Enhanced Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR)].

The application of SBR reactors is becoming more common and in order to further improve the efficiency of their treatment it has been proposed to add a magnetic field to SBR systems. The effects of different magnetic fields on the degradation efficiency of conventional pollutants in an SBR was studied. MiSeq high-throughput sequencing techniques were used to analyze the diversity of microbial communities in activated sludge under magnetic field conditions. These results show that the addition of a magnetic field improves the performance of a SBR system to an extent and magnetic induction effects are most obvious at 7×10-2 T. This is identified through a significant effect on the removal efficiency of total nitrogen and an increase in the denitrification rate from 65.69% to 85.98%. It also significantly improves the activity of sludge dehydrogenase and has a positive effect on the removal of various pollutants. The diversity of microbial communities in activated sludge under different magnetic field intensities shows a greater microbial abundance and diversity in the active sludge. The bacterial domain in the experimental SBR includes 14 phyla, which are mainly Proteobacteria (25.3%-61.5%), Bacteroidetes (18.6%-46.2%), Actonobacteria (5.3%-47.2%), and Acidobacteria (0.4%-4.0%). Important denitrification bacteria such as Rhodoblastus, Paracoccus of α-Proteobacteria, Alicycliphilus, Comamonas, Xenophilus, Acidovorax, Dechloromonas, Thauera of ß-Proteobacteria, Desulfovibrio of δ-Proteobacteria and Planctomycetes, etc. at a moderate magnetic induction of 7×10-2 T have a high abundance and there is an internal relationship between this and an increase in denitrification efficiency. Polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs) such as Acinetobacter, Pseudomonas, Propionicimonas, etc., are present at higher levels under these conditions and follow the same trends as for the phosphorus removal rates. There is a correlation between bacterial community structure changes and sewage treatment efficiency in activated sludge. Applied magnetic fields have a positive effect on sewage treatment by changing the microbial community structure.