Patients with advanced cancer were treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors and injected with COVID-19 vaccine to improve their prognosis without increasing pancreatic related adverse events.

To investigate immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) induced pancreatic injury (ICIPI), the prognostic effect of COVID-19 vaccine on cancer patients, and whether COVID-19 vaccine increases the incidence of ICIPI. We conducted a retrospective study of 256 stage IV cancer patients treated with ICIs at The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University from January 2020 to November 2022. Data collected included pancreatic enzyme levels, treatment outcomes, and vaccination status. Statistical significance was determined using the χ2 test and Kaplan-Meier method (p < .05). Compared to the control group, the vaccinated group (p < .0001) and the group with elevated pancreatic enzyme levels (p = .044) demonstrated higher disease control rates, indicating a direct benefit of vaccination and enzyme monitoring on treatment outcomes. Additionally, vaccinated patients demonstrated longer overall survival versus unvaccinated patients (23.9 months [95% CI, 22.3-25.5] vs 23.6 months [95% CI, 21.1-26.2], HR = 0.45 [95% CI, 0.24-0.86], p = .015) and progression-free survival (17.2 months [95% CI, 14.3-20.1] vs 13.7 months [95% CI, 11.3-16.1], HR = 0.54 [95% CI, 0.36-0.82], p = .004). Importantly, the analysis revealed no significant association between vaccination and pancreatic injury (p = .46). Monitoring pancreatic enzymes can effectively evaluate the therapeutic impact in patients using ICIs. Patients vaccinated against COVID-19 experience better immunotherapy outcomes without an increased risk of ICIPI.

Oxalic acid enhances bioremediation of Cr(VI) contaminated soil using Penicillium oxalicum SL2.

Oxalic acid is the most abundant low molecular weight organic acid (LMWOA) in many environments and offers enormous prospects for treating Cr(VI) contamination. In this study, laboratory batch experiments were conducted to estimate the roles of oxalic acid in Cr(VI) removal by Penicillium oxalicum SL2. Oxalic acid changed the initial pH and provided a suitable condition for the growth of strain SL2 when the penicillium was applied to bioremediation of Cr(VI) contamination in alkaline soil. Gompertz model analysis indicated that initial pH affected the lag time of the growth curve of strain SL2. Scanning electron microscopy and scanning transmission X-ray microscopy analysis showed strain SL2 sufficiently contacted with contaminated soil and reduced Cr(VI) to Cr(III) in the hyphae. The results suggested that oxalic acid could enhance the bioremediation efficiency of strain SL2 though improving chromium bioleaching from the contaminated soil and strengthening Cr(VI) removal in the leaching solution. This study provided oxalic acid as a green reagent for stimulating Cr(VI) removal by strain SL2 and would expand knowledge on the roles of LMWOA in Cr(VI) bioremediation.

Iodide etching for one-step quantitative assay of the number of DNA molecules capped on gold nanoparticles.

Developing a direct method to easily quantify the number of DNA capped on gold nanoparticles (GNPs) is of great significance. Herein, we found that the high concentration of iodine ion (I-) can not only replace the ligands on the surface of GNPs but can also completely etch the particles by virtue of its strong reducibility. According to this finding, a mild, cost-effective, environment-friendly, and non-toxic strategy was constructed to directly and accurately estimate the amount of DNA coupled on GNPs. Due to nanometal surface energy transfer (NSET) that happened between the DNA-FAM donor and the GNPs receptor, the fluorescence was quenched; after incubating with the etching reagent 6 M I-, the recuperative fluorescence was detected directly. This method can easily estimate the number of DNA attached on the GNPs surface by one step. In a nutshell, it is a smart strategy to apply iodide etching for DNA quantification on the surface of GNPs, which breaks through the drawbacks of traditional DNA quantification strategies such as pollution, being expensive and even dangerous. This strategy takes a solid step forward for the refinement and optimization of DNA quantification and can also be more effective in detecting the number of other molecules capped on the GNPs surface, indicating that the iodide etching method is greatly helpful in bio-detection assays and nanoparticle-based therapeutics.

Study on RNAi-based herbicide for Mikania micrantha.

The invasive plant Mikania micrantha Kunth (M. micrantha) from South America poses a significant threat to the stability and biodiversity of ecosystems. However, an effective and economical method to control M. micrantha is still lacking. RNA interference (RNAi) has been widely studied and applied in agriculture for trait improvement. Spray-induced gene silencing (SIGS) can produce RNAi silencing effects without introducing heritable modifications to the plant genome and is becoming a novel nontransformation strategy for plant protection. In this study, the genes encoding chlorophyll a/b-binding proteins were selected as targets of RNAi, based on high-throughput sequencing of M. micrantha transcriptome and bioinformatic analyses of sequence specificity. Three types of RNAi molecules, double-stranded RNA, RNAi nanomicrosphere, and short hairpin RNA (shRNA), with their corresponding short interfering RNA sequences were designed and synthesized for SIGS vector construction, from which each RNAi molecule was transcribed and extracted to be sprayed on M. micrantha leaves. Whereas water-treated control leaves remained green, leaves treated with RNAi molecules turned yellow and eventually wilted. Quantitative real-time PCR showed that the expression levels of target genes were significantly reduced in the RNAi-treated groups compared with those of the control, suggesting that all three types of RNAi herbicides effectively silenced the endogenous target genes, which are essential for the growth of M. micrantha. We also found that shRNA showed better silencing efficiency than the other two molecules. Taken together, our study successfully designed three types of RNAi-based herbicides that specifically silenced endogenous target genes and controlled the growth of M. micrantha. Moreover, we identified a gene family encoding chlorophyll a/b-binding proteins that is important for the growth and development of M. micrantha and could serve as potential targets for controlling the spread of M. micrantha.

Highly stable surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy assay on abnormal thrombin levels in the blood plasma of cancer patients.

The accurate discrimination of specific protein levels in the blood of cancer patients is of great importance in clinical diagnostics and prognosis. Here, we report a double-aptamer sandwich strategy on plasmonic magnetic beads (MBs) for a dual-reporter surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) assay for assessing abnormal thrombin (TB) levels in the blood plasma of cancer patients. This SERS assay demonstrated a linear analysis range of 20-400 pM in serum with a limit of detection as low as 20 pM, and to the best of our knowledge, this represents the first attempt to highly stably discriminate an abnormal TB level in the plasma of clinical cancer patients. Two recognition elements of TB aptamers provided high specificity and the dual-reporter assay demonstrated greatly reduced false-positive signals. The sandwich complex produced an efficient SERS "hot spot" to make up for the flaws of the insufficient enhancement of monomer metal nanoparticles. The plasmonic MBs enabled the direct tracking of ultratrace proteins in plasma while avoiding complicated pretreatment with only a few washing steps required. As a preliminary exploration, our report details a new potential tool with high sensitivity, selectivity, and practicality for disease-related protein testing in clinical diagnostics and prognosis.

Quantitative determination of peroxide value of edible oil by algorithm-assisted liquid interfacial surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

Edible oil is an indispensable food in daily life but early detection of its lipid oxidation is difficult. Developing new, rapid and accurate screening technique is urgently needed for oil quality control. Here we developed a surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy analyzer based on plasmonic metal liquid-like platform (PML-SERS), which could directly analyze the oil sample in ca. 3 min. This analyzer has the ability and sensitivity to identify fingerprint peak changes. Moreover, the relative Raman intensity, I1265/1436, has a good correlation with peroxide value (POV), which is used for quantitative detection. The fitting model combined with principal component analysis (PCA) realized rapid spectral recognition for determining POV in edible oil oxidation. The relative deviation between the POV measured by PML-SERS and the national standard method (NSM) was less than 10%. Our platform provided a practical solution for ultra-sensitive and fast analysis of POV in oil oxidation.

Different damage patterns of retinal nerve fiber layer and ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer between early glaucoma and non-glaucomatous optic neuropathy.

AIM: To compare the damage pattern of the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) and the macular ganglion cell-inner plexiform layer (mGCIPL) between early glaucomatous and non-glaucomatous optic neuropathy (EGON and NGON). METHODS: It is a cross-sectional study. Thirty-eight healthy controls, 74 EGONs and 70 NGONs with comparable average pRNFL loss were included. The NGON group included 23 eyes of optic neuritis (ON), 13 eyes of hereditary optic neuropathy (HON), 19 eyes of toxic optic neuropathy (TON) and 15 eyes of compressive neuropathy (CON). The sectoral pRNFL and mGCIPL thickness obtained by high definition optical coherence tomography were analyzed. RESULTS: Compared to normal controls, the pRNFL thickness in all quadrants showed a decrease in both EGON and NGON group (P<0.001), but the average pRNFL thickness of EGON group was not different to that of NGON group (P=0.94). The inferior and superior pRNFL was thinner in EGON group compared to NGON group (P<0.001). The temporal pRNFL was thinner in NGON group compared to EGON group (P<0.001). No statistically significant difference was found in nasal pRNFL between EGON and NGON. While the nasal pRNFL was thinner in CON than other three types of NGON (P=0.01), no statistically significant difference was found in other three quadrantal pRNFL among the four types of NGON (P>0.05). The mGCIPL of EGON and NGON group were thinner than control group (P<0.001). In EGON group the severest sites of mGCIPL reduction was located at inferotemporal and inferior sectors. While, compared to EGON group, the average mGCIPL of NGON group were significantly thinner, especially in superonasal and inferonasal sectors (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: The damage pattern of pRNFL and mGCIPL caused by glaucoma is distinct from other NGON such as ON, TON, HON and CON, and this characteristic damage pattern is helpful in differentiating early glaucoma from other NGON.

Role of DRAM1 in mitophagy contributes to preeclampsia regulation in mice.

Preeclampsia (PE) is a complication during pregnancy that is diagnosed by a new onset of hypertension and proteinuria. Although the pathogenesis of PE is not fully understood, a growing body of evidence indicates that oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction might contribute to the progression of PE. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to determine the role of mitophagy in mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in PE, and to evaluate the role of DNA damage­regulated autophagy modulator 1 (DRAM1) in the development of PE. First, a mouse model of PE induced by hypoxia­inducible factor 1α was established, and high levels of oxidative stress, apoptosis and mitochondrial dysfunction were found in the placentas of PE mice. Additionally, the placentas of PE mice exhibited decreased mitophagy and significantly decreased DRAM1 expression. To further explore the role of DRAM1 in mitophagy, DRAM1 was overexpressed in the placental tissues of PE mice, and this overexpression effectively improved the symptoms of PE mice and significantly reduced blood lipid and urine protein levels. DRAM1 overexpression also improved mitochondrial function and reduced oxidative stress in the placentas of PE mice. In addition, the overexpression of DRAM1 improved mitochondrial fusion and fission, and enhanced mitophagy. Altogether, these results indicated a key role for DRAM1 in mitophagy that contributed to the regulation of PE. To the best of the authors' knowledge, the present study provided the first evidence of a role for DRAM1 in PE, and offered novel insight into the pathophysiological mechanisms of PE.

Reproducibility of Foveal Avascular Zone and Superficial Macular Retinal Vasculature Measurements in Healthy Eyes Determined by Two Different Scanning Protocols of Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography.

PURPOSE: To assess the reproducibility of quantitative measurements of the foveal avascular zone (FAZ) and retinal vasculature determined by different scanning protocols of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in healthy volunteers. METHOD: All participants were scanned by two trained operators using an AngioPlex OCTA. Both angiography protocols (6 × 6 mm and 3 × 3 mm) were performed three times on the same eye by operator A and one additional time by operator B. The FAZ area and perimeter, retinal vessel length density (VLD) and perfusion density (PD) of different regions were analysed. RESULTS: Fifty-two eyes from 52 subjects were recruited for this study. The repeated measurements of FAZ, VLD, and PD parameters obtained by the same operator, as well as by different operators, were not significantly different when the same protocol was used (p > 0.05). The intra- and inter-operator intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) of the FAZ and central VLD and PD parameters (range, 0.99-0.95) were better than the intra- and inter-operator ICCs of VLD and PD in the inner and outer rings (range, 0.86-0.90). The FAZ area, perimeter, and VLDs obtained by the 3 × 3 mm protocol were larger than those obtained by the 6 × 6 mm protocol (p < 0.01), but the PDs obtained by the 3 × 3 mm protocol were smaller than those obtained by the 6 × 6 mm protocol (p < 0.001). All of the corresponding parameters obtained by the two protocols were positively correlated (r = 0.64-0.99, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Both the 6 × 6 and 3 × 3 mm protocols of the AngioPlex OCTA provide good reproducibility for assessing the FAZ and superficial retinal vasculature. However, the values obtained by these different protocols cannot be compared directly.

[Spatio-temporal characteristics and source identification of water pollutants in Wenruitang River watershed].

Identifying the temp-spatial distribution and sources of water pollutants is of great significance for efficient water quality management pollution control in Wenruitang River watershed, China. A total of twelve water quality parameters, including temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), total nitrogen (TN), ammonia nitrogen (NH4+ -N), electrical conductivity (EC), turbidity (Turb), nitrite-N (NO2-), nitrate-N(NO3-), phosphate-P(PO4(3-), total organic carbon (TOC) and silicate (SiO3(2-)), were analyzed from September, 2008 to October, 2009. Geographic information system(GIS) and principal component analysis(PCA) were used to determine the spatial distribution and to apportion the sources of pollutants. The results demonstrated that TN, NH4+ -N, PO4(3-) were the main pollutants during flow period, wet period, dry period, respectively, which was mainly caused by urban point sources and agricultural and rural non-point sources. In spatial terms, the order of pollution was tertiary river > secondary river > primary river, while the water quality was worse in city zones than in the suburb and wetland zone regardless of the river classification. In temporal terms, the order of pollution was dry period > wet period > flow period. Population density, land use type and water transfer affected the water quality in Wenruitang River.

Evaluation of spatial-temporal variations and trends in surface water quality across a rural-suburban-urban interface.

Water quality degradation is often a severe consequence of rapid economic expansion in developing countries. Methods to assess spatial-temporal patterns and trends in water quality are essential for guiding adaptive management efforts aimed at water quality remediation. Temporal and spatial patterns of surface water quality were investigated for 54 monitoring sites in the Wen-Rui Tang River watershed of eastern China to identify such patterns in water quality occurring across a rural-suburban-urban interface. Twenty physical and chemical water quality parameters were analyzed in surface waters collected once every 4-8 weeks from 2000 to 2010. Temporal and spatial variations among water quality parameters were assessed between seasons (wet/dry) and among major land use zones (urban/suburban/rural). Factor analysis was used to identify parameters that were important in assessing seasonal and spatial variations in water quality. Results revealed that parameters related to organic pollutants (dissolved oxygen (DO), chemical oxygen demand (manganese) (COD(Mn)), and 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5)), nutrients (ammonia nitrogen (NH4 ⁺-N), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP)), and salt concentration (electrical conductivity (EC)) were the most important parameters contributing to water quality variation. Collectively, they explained 70.9 % of the total variance. A trend study using the seasonal Kendall test revealed reductions in COD(Mn), BOD5, NH4 ⁺-N, petrol, V-phen, and EC concentrations over the 11-year study period. Cluster analysis was employed to evaluate variation among 14 sampling sites representative of dominant land use categories and indicated three, three, and four clusters based on organic, nutrient, and salt water quality characteristics, respectively. Factors that are typically responsible for water quality degradation (including population, topography, and land use) showed no strong correlation with water quality trends implying considerable point source inputs in the watershed. The results of this study help inform ongoing water quality remediation efforts by documenting trends in water quality across various land use zones.

Optimizing water quality monitoring networks using continuous longitudinal monitoring data: a case study of Wen-Rui Tang River, Wenzhou, China.

Identification of representative sampling sites is a critical issue in establishing an effective water quality monitoring program. This is especially important at the urban-agriculture interface where water quality conditions can change rapidly over short distances. The objective of this research was to optimize the spatial allocation of discrete monitoring sites for synoptic water quality monitoring through analysis of continuous longitudinal monitoring data collected by attaching a water quality sonde and GPS to a boat. Sampling was conducted six times from March to October 2009 along a 6.5 km segment of the Wen-Rui Tang River in eastern China that represented an urban-agricultural interface. When travelling at a velocity of ∼2.4 km h(-1), this resulted in water quality measurements at ∼20 m interval. Ammonia nitrogen (NH(4)(+)-N), electrical conductivity (EC), dissolved oxygen (DO), and turbidity data were collected and analyzed using Cluster Analysis (CA) to identify optimal locations for establishment of long-term monitoring sites. The analysis identified two distinct water quality segments for NH(4)(+)-N and EC and three distinct segments for DO and turbidity. According to our research results, the current fixed-location sampling sites should be adjusted to more effectively capture the distinct differences in the spatial distribution of water quality conditions. In addition, this methodology identified river reaches that require more comprehensive study of the factors leading to the changes in water quality within the identified river segment. The study demonstrates that continuous longitudinal monitoring can be a highly effective method for optimizing monitoring site locations for water quality studies.

Evaluation of new tri-methacrylates as a reactive diluent in root canal sealant.

In this work, a novel tri-methacrylate oligomer, GPTEMA, with three long-branched chain structures was synthesized through the reaction of glycerol propoxylate triglycidyl ether (GPTE) and methacrylic acid. The structure of GPTEMA was confirmed by FT-IR, (1)H-NMR, gel-permeation chromatography (GPC) and element analysis. The GPTEMA was used to partially or completely replace TEGDMA as reactive diluent and applied in a root canal sealant system containing Bis-GMA. The effects of GPTEMA on the polymerization behavior of Bis-GMA/TEGDMA/GPTEMA co-polymer and properties of its polymerizing product were investigated. Polymerization shrinkage, double bond conversion, glass transition temperature, flexural strength, flexural modulus, water sorption and diffusion coefficient of the Bis-GMA/TEGDMA/GPTEMA co-polymer were measured. The results illustrated that the Bis-GMA/TEGDMA/GPTEMA co-polymer attained lower polymerization shrinkage and higher double bond conversion. However, its T g, flexural strength and flexural modulus decreased with increasing content of GPTEMA, water sorption and diffusion coefficient increased with increasing content of GPTEMA.

Spatial and temporal variations of nitrogen pollution in Wen-Rui Tang River watershed, Zhejiang, China.

Water quality has degraded dramatically in Wen-Rui Tang River watershed, Zhejiang, China, especially due to rapid economic development since 1995. This paper aims to assess spatial and temporal variations of the main pollutants (NH⁺4-N, TN, BOD(5), COD(Mn), DO) of water quality in Wen-Rui Tang River watershed, using the geographic information system, cluster analysis (CA) and principal component analysis (PCA). Results showed that concentrations of BOD(5), COD(Mn), NH⁺4-N, and TN were significantly higher in tertiary rivers than in primary and secondary rivers. From April 2006 to March 2007, the concentrations of NH⁺ 4-N (2.25-57.9 mg/L) and TN (3.78-70.4 mg/L) in all samples exceeded Type V national water quality standards (≥2 mg/L), while 5.3% of all COD(Mn) (1.83-27.5 mg/L) and 33.6% of all BOD(5) (0.34-50.4 mg/L) samples exceeded Type V national water quality standards (COD(Mn) ≥ 15 mg/L, BOD(5) ≥ 10 mg/L). Monthly changes of pollutant concentrations did not show a clear pattern, but correlation analysis indicated that NH⁺4-N and TN in tertiary rivers had a significant negative correlation with 5-day cumulative rainfall and monthly rainfall, while there were no significant correlations in primary and secondary rivers. The results of CA and spatial analysis showed that the northern part of Wen-Rui Tang River watershed was the most seriously polluted. This region is characterized by the high population density and industrial and commercial activities. The PCA and spatial analysis indicated that the degraded water quality is caused by anthropogenic activities and poor wastewater management.

Synthesis and characterization of a new dimethacrylate monomer based on 5,50-bis(4-hydroxylphenyl)-hexahydro-4,7-methanoindan for root canal sealer application.

In this study, a new dimethacrylate monomer 5,5'-bis[4-(2'-hydroxy-3'-methacryloyloxy-propoxy)-phenyl]-hexahydro-4,7-methan-oindan (5,5'-BHMPHM) with molecular weight of 640 and large molecular volume was designed and synthesized. The structure of monomer 5,5'-BHMPHM was confirmed by FT-IR, 1H-NMR and elemental analysis. Degree of double bond conversion, volume shrinkage, contact angle, water sorption and solubility, diffusion coefficient value, flexure strength and modulus of 5,5'-BHMPHM/tri(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) based resin were measured. 2,2-bis[4-(2'-hydroxy-3'-methacryloyloxy-propoxy)-phenyl]-propane(Bis-GMA)/TEGDMA based resin was used as reference. The result illustrated that the double bond conversion, polymerization shrinkage, and diffusion coefficient value of 5,5'-BHMPHM/TEGDMA based resin were significantly lower than that of Bis-GMA/TEGDMA based resin (P<0.05). Water sorption, solubility, flexure strength and modulus of 5,5'-BHMPHM/TEGDMA based resin were higher than that of Bis-GMA/TEGDMA based resin (P<0.05). There was no statistical difference between 5,5'-BHMPHM/TEGDMA based resin and Bis-GMA/TEGDMA based resin in contact angle (P>0.05).