[Research Progress on Distribution Characteristics and Formation Mechanisms of Microplastics in the Environment].

The extensive application of plastic products leads to the increasingly significant harm of plastic wastes to the ecological environment, which is also a focus of global environmental issues. Due to the lack of a sound plastic waste management system, most plastic waste is still treated by the traditional mode or remains in the environment, with low recycling efficiency, and the plastic life cycle has not yet formed. Plastics in the environment will age and degrade under the actions of physical (wear, waves), chemical (ultraviolet radiation, hydrolysis), and biological (fungi, bacteria) factors for a long time and generate micro (nano) plastics. Due to their small particle size, large specific surface area, and charged characteristics, in addition to their own toxicity, they can also be used as carriers or covert carriers of pollutants (heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, bacteria, etc.) to migrate in the environment through runoff, sewage discharge, and hydrometeorology, causing ecological environmental pollution. MPs pollution has been listed as the second largest scientific problem in the field of environmental and ecological science by the United Nations Environment Programme. MPs are widely distributed, and there are different degrees of MPs pollution in the global water (freshwater, ocean), soil, and atmospheric environment. Traces of MPs have also been found in human placentas, human breastmilk, living lungs, and blood in recent years. Therefore, the formation mechanisms of MPs under the actions of physics, chemistry, and microorganisms, as well as their abundance levels and migration characteristics in water, soil, and atmosphere environment were comprehensively reviewed, with the hope of providing reference for monitoring the pollution levels of MPs in the environment, exploring their transport laws in the environment, proposing the management strategy of MPs pollution, and revealing the degradation mechanisms of MPs under different effects.

Resveratrol promotes mitochondrial energy metabolism in exercise-induced fatigued rats.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect and regulatory mechanism of resveratrol supplementation on the mitochondrial energy metabolism of rats with exercise-induced fatigue. MATERIALS/METHODS: Forty-eight Sprague-Dawley male rats were divided randomly into a blank control group (C), resveratrol group (R), exercise group (E), and exercise and resveratrol group (ER), with 12 rats in each group. Group ER and group E performed 6-wk swimming training with 5% wt-bearing, 60 min each time, 6 days a wk. Group ER was given resveratrol 50 mg/kg by gavage one hour after exercise; group R was only given resveratrol 50 mg/kg by gavage; group C and group E were fed normally. The same volume of solvent was given by gavage every day. RESULTS: Resveratrol supplementation could reduce the plasma blood urea nitrogen content, creatine kinase activity, and malondialdehyde content in the skeletal muscle, increase the total superoxide dismutase activity in the skeletal muscle, and improve the fatigue state. Resveratrol supplementation could improve the activities of Ca2+-Mg2+-ATPase, Na+-K+-ATPase, succinate dehydrogenase, and citrate synthase in the skeletal muscle. Furthermore, resveratrol supplementation could up-regulate the sirtuin 1 (SIRT1)-proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1α (PGC-1α)-nuclear respiratory factor 1 pathway. CONCLUSIONS: Resveratrol supplementation could promote mitochondrial biosynthesis via the SIRT1/PGC-1α pathway, increase the activity of the mitochondrial energy metabolism-related enzymes, improve the antioxidant capacity of the body, and promote recovery from exercise-induced fatigue.

Assessment of Helicobacter pylori infection by deep learning based on endoscopic videos in real time.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Endoscopic assessment of Helicobacter pylori infection is a simple and effective method. Here, we aimed to develop a deep learning-based system named Intelligent Detection Endoscopic Assistant-Helicobacter pylori (IDEA-HP) to assess H. pylori infection by using endoscopic videos in real time. METHODS: Endoscopic data were retrospectively obtained from Zhejiang Cancer Hospital (ZJCH) for the development, validation, and testing of the system. Stored videos from ZJCH were used for assessing and comparing the performance of IDEA-HP with that of endoscopists. Prospective consecutive patients undergoing esophagogastroduodenoscopy were enrolled to assess the applicability of clinical practice. The urea breath test was used as the gold standard for diagnosing H. pylori infection. RESULTS: In 100 videos, IDEA-HP achieved a similar overall accuracy of assessing H. pylori infection to that of experts (84.0% vs. 83.6% [P = 0.729]). Nevertheless, the diagnostic accuracy (84.0% vs. 74.0% [P<0.001]) and sensitivity (82.0% vs. 67.2% [P<0.001]) of IDEA-HP were significantly higher than those of the beginners. In 191 prospective consecutive patients, IDEA-HP achieved accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 85.3% (95% CI: 79.0%-89.3%), 83.3% (95% CI: 72.8%-90.5%), and 85.8% (95% CI: 77.7%-91.4%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that IDEA-HP has great potential for assisting endoscopists in assessing H. pylori infection status during actual clinical work.

Factors associated with non-lifting of colorectal mucosal lesions.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is an effective treatment for colorectal tumors. However, lesions that cannot be lifted after submucosal injection are not indication for ESD. This is because the procedure is difficult, and the lesions are often considered as tumor invasion or submucosal fibrosis. The aims of this study are to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ESD for non-lifting lesions and to analyze the causes of non-lifting phenomenon. METHODS: This retrospective study included 29 patients with non-lifting colon lesions resected by ESD from February 2018 to September 2021. Cases were observed for demographics, endoscopic findings, treatment outcomes, adverse events and endoscopic follow-up. We studied the pathological features of lesions to explore the reasons for non-lifting. RESULTS: Among 29 cases of non-lifting lesions, 20 lesions (69.0%) were 30 mm in diameter or larger. Most of lesions (96.6%) were non-lifting in center, and only one lesions (3.4%) had non-lifting of one side. The en bloc and curative resection rates of ESD were 100 and 86.2%, respectively. There was one (3.4%) delayed bleeding, no perforations and other complications. No tumor recurrence occurred during the follow-up period. For pathological features, 16 (55.2%) non-lifting lesions had submucosal fibrosis and only 4 cases (13.8%) had deep submucosal invasion. There were 9 cases (31.0%) of non-lifting lesions due to musculo-fibrous of muscularis propria anomaly (MMPA). CONCLUSION: MMPA is another reason for non-lifting signs besides invasive carcinomas and submucosal fibrosis. ESD should be considered in patients with large non-lifting adenoma instead of surgery.

An exhaustive investigation on antibiotics contamination from livestock farms within sensitive reservoir water area: Spatial density, source apportionment and risk assessment.

Although the studies on antibiotic contamination are common at present, large-scale sampling studies drawing highly representative conclusions are still scarce. This study conducted a comprehensive investigation on a total of 1183 samples from 70 livestock farms within a sensitive area around reservoir waters. 45 types of antibiotics belonging to 5 different classes were monitored. This is the first analysis to comprehensively investigate the density distribution, source apportionment, ecological and health risk of antibiotics in an entire area of sensitive waters. The results showed that the layer manure samples had highest detection rate of antibiotics (0.0 %-96.1 %, average value = 30.7 %) followed by pig manure samples. Oxytetracycline had the highest concentration of 712.16 mg/kg in a pig manure sample. Different from using antibiotic concentration as a proxy for pollution level, the spatial density was calculated by averaging antibiotic concentration to area and converting different livestock to pig equivalent. The spatial density of pig equivalent can more realistically reflect the pollution caused by different breeds of livestocks. It was shown that the pig farms contributed higher to total antibiotic density than the layer and cattle farms did. After assessed, a few antibiotics (oxytetracycline, chlorotetracycline and tetracycline) have posed high ecological risks to soil around the farms. However, none of them caused hazard quotient (HQ) risk and carcinogenic risk (CR) to human health in the water of reservoir. Children were more likely to be at hazard risk than adults. Antibiotic mass fluctuation rules were analyzed along the chain (feed → livestock waste → soil → surface water). Feed, livestock waste and soil had similar diversity, but the antibiotic concentrations continued to decline, implying the possible sources of antibiotic residues were similar. Thus, it is important to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use to prevent the potential long-term risk of antibiotics.

Noroleanane-type triterpenoids from Dolichos trilobus L. and their anti-α-glucosidase activities.

Falcatane A (1) and B (2), 4-oxo-3,24-dinor-2,4-secooleanane- and 3-oxo-24- noroleanane-type triterpenoids, together with seven known triterpenoids involving 2-hydroxy-3-oxo-24-noroleana-1,4,12-trien-28-oic acid (3) and oleanolic acid (4), were separated from the ethyl acetate roots extract of Dolichos trilobus using the column chromatography of silica gel, MCI gel, and Sephadex LH-20. The compounds were determined by analysis of IR, NMR spectroscopic data and mass spectrometry. In the bioassay, all isolates showed varying degree of the α-glucosidase inhibitory activity except compound 2.

Intelligent detection endoscopic assistant: An artificial intelligence-based system for monitoring blind spots during esophagogastroduodenoscopy in real-time.

BACKGROUND: Observation of the entire stomach during esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) is important; however, there is a lack of effective evaluation tools. AIMS: To develop an artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted EGD system able to automatically monitor blind spots in real-time. METHODS: An AI-based system, called the Intelligent Detection Endoscopic Assistant (IDEA), was developed using a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) and long short-term memory (LSTM). The performance of IDEA for recognition of gastric sites in images and videos was evaluated. Primary outcomes included diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. RESULTS: A total of 170,297 images and 5779 endoscopic videos were collected to develop the system. As the test group, 3100 EGD images were acquired to evaluate the performance of DCNN in recognition of gastric sites in images. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of DCNN were determined as 97.18%,99.91%, and 99.83%, respectively. To assess the performance of IDEA in recognition of gastric sites in EGD videos, 129 videos were used as the test group. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of IDEA were 96.29%,93.32%, and 95.30%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: IDEA achieved high accuracy for recognition of gastric sites in real-time. The system can be applied as a powerful assistant tool for monitoring blind spots during EGD.

Polyol monoterpenes isolated from Chenopodium ambrosioides.

Phytochemical study on the 95% ethyl alcohol extract of stems of Chenopodium ambrosioides resulted in the isolation of two new polyol monoterpenes, 4-hydroxy-4(α or ß)-isopropyl-2-methyl-2-cyclohexen-1-one (1) and 1-methyl-4ß- isopropyl-1-cyclohexene-4α,5α,6α-triol (2), together with five known compounds, (1S,2S,3R,4S)-1-methyl-4-(propan-2-yl)cyclohexane-1,2,3,4-tetrol (3), (1R,2S,3S,4S)- 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroxy-p-menthane (4), (1R,2S)-3-p-menthen-1,2-diol (5), (1R,4S)-p- menth-2-en-1-ol (6) and 1,4-dihydroxy-p-menth-2-ene (7). The structures of the new compounds were established on the basis of detailed spectroscopic evidence including extensive 1D and 2D NMR techniques. Compounds 1-7 were evaluated for their anti-inflammatory activity, and compound 1 showed moderate ability to inhibit NO production of LPS-stimulated RAW 264.7 macrophages with an IC50 value of 16.83 µM.

Prevention of Esophageal Stricture After Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is rapidly becoming a favored method for removing early esophageal cancer, but the residual defects can be complicated with strictures that require repeated endoscopic balloon dilatation. Measures for preventing the post-ESD strictures have been sought. We conducted a systematic review of recent studies to evaluate these methods. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, and Google Scholar until November 30, 2014. Included studies were prospective and retrospective one- and two-arm studies. All studies had to include at least on preventive method for post-ESD stricture. Thirteen studies were included in the review. RESULTS: Among the studies that used corticosteroids to prevent post-ESD stricture, we found that (1) injection of triamcinolone acetonide into the esophageal lesion resulted in a substantial reduction in the rate of stricture, and (2) the use of oral prednisolone was associated with a significantly reduced rate of dilatation sessions and stricture. Studies of other preventative measures included more recently developed scaffold-based and cell-based tissue-engineering approaches which seem very promising but require additional rigorously controlled studies to test their effectiveness. CONCLUSIONS: Until a safer and more effective method is developed, our review supports the use of corticosteroids, either through injection or oral route, together with endoscopic dilatation in prevention of post-ESD strictures.

Bipolaron in different configuration of quantum confinement.

The authors used Landau-Pekar variational method to investigate a strong-coupling singlet optical bipolaron in different configuration of quantum confinement. Numerical and analytical results showed that when configuration changes from quantum dot and wire to well, confinement shows different effect on the formation of a bipolaron. In contrast to a bipolaron in a quantum dot or wire, the binding energy of a bipolaron in a quantum well increases with increasing confinement, indicating that confinement favors bipolaron formation in a quantum well.