Characteristics and risk factors for invasive fungal infection in hospitalized patients with acute-on-chronic hepatitis B liver failure: a retrospective cohort study from 2010 to 2023.

Background and aim: The global burden of invasive fungal infections (IFIs) is emerging in immunologic deficiency status from various disease. Patients with acute-on-chronic hepatitis B liver failure (ACHBLF) are prone to IFI and their conditions are commonly exacerbated by IFI. However, little is known about the characteristics and risk factors for IFI in hospitalized ACHBLF patients. Methods: A total of 243 hospitalized ACHBLF patients were retrospectively enrolled from January 2010 to July 2023. We performed restricted cubic spline analysis to determine the non-linear associations between independent variables and IFI. The risk factors for IFI were identified using logistic regression and the extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) algorithm. The effect values of the risk factors were determined by the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method. Results: There were 24 ACHBLF patients (9.84%) who developed IFI on average 17.5 (13.50, 23.00) days after admission. The serum creatinine level showed a non-linear association with the possibility of IFI. Multiple logistic regression revealed that length of hospitalization (OR = 1.05, 95% CI: 1.02-1.08, P = 0.002) and neutrophilic granulocyte percentage (OR = 1.04, 95% CI: 1.00-1.09, P = 0.042) were independent risk factors for IFI. The XGBoost algorithm showed that the use of antibiotics (SHAP value = 0.446), length of hospitalization (SHAP value = 0.406) and log (qHBV DNA) (SHAP value = 0.206) were the top three independent risk factors for IFI. Furthermore, interaction analysis revealed no multiplicative effects between the use of antibiotics and the use of glucocorticoids (P = 0.990). Conclusion: IFI is a rare complication that leads to high mortality in hospitalized ACHBLF patients, and a high neutrophilic granulocyte percentage and length of hospitalization are independent risk factors for the occurrence of IFI.

Screening of Genes Co-Associated with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Infectious Sudden Death in Infancy and Bioinformatics Analysis of Their Regulatory Networks.

OBJECTIVES: The common differentially expressed mRNAs in brain, heart and liver tissues of deceased sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and infectious sudden death in infancy (ISDI) confirmed by autopsy was screened by bioinformatics to explore the common molecular markers and pathogenesis of SIDS and ISDI. METHODS: The datasets of GSE70422 and GSE136992 were downloaded, the limma of R software was used to screen differentially expressed mRNA in different tissue samples of SIDS and ISDI decedents for overlapping analysis. The clusterProfiler of R software was used to conduct gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis. The protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed by STRING database, while the hub gene was screened by cytoHubba plug-in. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, there were 19 significant differentially expressed genes in the tissue samples of SIDS and ISDI decedents, among which 16 in the heart tissue and 3 in the liver tissue, and the astrotactin 1 (ASTN1) gene expression difference in the heart tissue was most significant. The PPI network identified Ras homolog family member A (RHOA), integrin subunit alpha 1 (ITGA1), and H2B clustered histone 5 (H2BC5) were hub genes. The analysis of GO and KEGG showed that differentially expressed genes were enriched in the molecular pathways of actin cytoskeleton regulation, focal adhesion and response to mycophenolic acid. CONCLUSIONS: ASTN1, RHOA and ITGA1 may participate in the development of SIDS and ISDI. The enrichment of differentially expressed genes in immune and inflammatory pathways suggests a common molecular regulatory mechanism between SIDS and ISDI. These findings are expected to provide new biomarkers for molecular anatomy and forensic identification of SIDS and ISDI.

[Prediction of PAHs Content in Soil Around Gas Stations in Beijing Based on BP Neural Network].

With the rapid development of urbanization in China, the number of gas stations in cities is increasing. The composition of oil products in gas stations is complex and diverse, and a series of pollutants will be generated in the process of oil diffusion. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) produced by gas stations can pollute the nearby soil and affect human health. In this study, soil samples (0-20 cm) near 117 gas stations in Beijing were collected, and the contents of seven PAHs were analyzed. Based on the BP neural network model, the contents of PAHs in soil of Beijing gas stations in 2025 and 2030 were predicted. The results showed that the total concentrations of the seven PAHs were 0.01-3.53 mg·kg-1. The concentrations of PAHs were lower than the soil environmental quality risk control standard for soil contamination of development land (Trial) GB 36600-2018. At the same time, the toxic equivalent concentrations (TEQ) of the above seven PAHs were lower than the standard value (1 mg·kg-1) of the World Health Organization (WHO), which they indicate a lower risk to human health. The prediction results showed that the rapid development of urbanization had a positive correlation with the increase in soil PAHs content. By 2030, the content of PAHs in Beijing gas station soil will continue to grow. The predicted concentrations of PAHs in the soil of Beijing gas stations in 2025 and 2030 were 0.085-4.077 mg·kg-1and 0.132-4.412 mg·kg-1, respectively. The contents of seven PAHs were lower than the soil pollution risk screening value of GB 36600-2018; however, the concentration of PAHs increased over time.The contents of PAHs in Chaoyang, Fengtai, and Haidian were relatively higher, which requires further attention.

Forecast daily tourist volumes during the epidemic period using COVID-19 data, search engine data and weather data.

The COVID-19 epidemic has brought a devastating blow to the tourism industry. Affected by the epidemic situation, the change of tourism volume of scenic spots is very unstable. Therefore, forecasting tourist volume in the context of COVID-19 epidemic is a new and challenging problem. In response, a novel multivariate time series forecasting framework based on variational mode decomposition (VMD) and gated recurrent unit network (GRU), i.e., VMD-GRU, is proposed to forecast daily tourist volumes during the epidemic. It takes the lead in using COVID-19 data, search traffic data and weather data. Through sufficient experiments and comparisons, the superiority of the approach is illustrated, and the predictive power of the above three types of data, especially the COVID-19 data, is revealed. Accurate forecast results from the method can help relevant government officials and tourism practitioners to better adjust tourism resources, cooperate with anti-epidemic work and reduce operational risks.

Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase secreted from microglia via exosome during ischemic injury.

Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) is the key enzyme of the salvage pathway of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide synthesis. NAMPT can also be secreted and functions as a cytokine. We have previously shown that in the brain, NAMPT expression and secretion can be induced in microglia upon neuroinflammation and injury. Yet the mechanism for NAMPT secretion remains unclear. Here we show that NAMPT can be actively secreted from microglia upon the treatment of ischemia-like injury - oxygen-glucose deprivation and recovery (OGD/R). We confirmed that classical ER-Golgi pathway is not involved in NAMPT secretion. NAMPT secretion was further enhanced by ATP, and the secretion was mediated by P2X7 receptor and by intracellular Ca2+ . Importantly, we found that phospholipase D inhibitor, n-butanol, phospholipase D siRNA, and wortmannin significantly decreased OGD/R-induced and ATP-enhanced release of NAMPT in microglia. After excluding the mechanisms of involving secretory autophagy, endosomes, and secretory lysosome, we have concluded that microglial NAMPT is secreted mainly via exosome. Immune-electron microscopy identifies NAMPT in extracellular vesicles with the size and morphology characteristic of exosome. With the vesicles harvested by ultra-centrifugation, exosomal NAMPT is further confirmed by Western blotting analysis. Intriguingly, the amount of NAMPT relative to exosomal protein markers remains unchanged upon the treatment of OGD/R, suggesting a constant load of exosomal NAMPT in microglia. Taken together, we have identified NAMPT is actively secreted via exosome from microglia during neuroinflammation of ischemic injury.

[PM2.5 adsorption capacity of Osmanthus fragrans and Cinnamomum camphora leaf surface and influencing factors under different pollution levels in Changsha, China]. / 长沙市不同污染程度区域桂花和香樟叶表面PM2.5å¸é™„é‡åŠå ¶å½±å“å› ç´ .

To understand the PM2.5 adsorption mechanisms of plants under different pollution levels and analyze pollutant sources, the PM2.5 adsorption amount of the leaves of two garden plant species (Cinnamomum camphora and Osmanthus fragrans) in different polluted level area (traffic area, culture and education area, cleaning area) of Changsha was measured using an aerosol generator. AFM scanning was used to obtain leaf surface micromorphological characteristics. Ion chromatography was used to measure the water-soluble ion content. Results showed that amount of PM2.5 adsorbed by leaves was positively correlated with pollution levels. The annual mean value of PM2.5adsorbed per leaf area of different plants was traffic area (0.56±0.04 µg·cm-2) > culture and education are (0.48±0.06 µg·cm-2) > clearing area (0.33±0.02 µg·cm-2). The season with amount of PM2.5adsorbed in leaves from the highest to lowest was winter (0.70±0.10 µg·cm-2) > spring (0.43±0.14 µg·cm-2) > autumn (0.39±0.12 µg·cm-2) > summer (0.31±0.09 µg·cm-2). Osmanthus fragrans had higher capacity to absorb PM2.5 than Cinnamomum camphora. Leaves of plants grown in low pollution areas were relatively smooth, whereas those in high pollution areas were rough. The order of leaf roughness in both species from high to low was traffic area (195.45±16.09 nm) > culture and education area (176.99±8.45 nm) > cleaning area (131.88±12.98 nm). The PM2.5 ionic content was the highest in winter, intermediated in spring and autumn, and the lowest in summer. The PM2.5 ions mainly included Na+, NH4+, Cl- and Br- in three pollution areas. PM2.5 pollution was due to removable source pollution at different pollution levels.

Cangrelor alleviates pulmonary fibrosis by inhibiting GPR17-mediated inflammation in mice.

Pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive and intractable lung disease. Macrophages play a critical role in the progression of pulmonary fibrosis. Cangrelor, an anti-platelet agent, is also a non-selective Gprotein-coupled receptor 17 (GPR17) antagonist. GPR17 mediates microglial inflammation in the chronic phase of cerebral ischemia and regulates allergic pulmonary inflammation. In this study, we observed the effects of cangrelor on bleomycin (BLM)-induced macrophage cellular inflammation and BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis in C57BL/6J mice. We found that BLM significantly increased GPR17 expression, the mRNA synthesis and release of inflammatory cytokines including TNF-α, IL-6 and TGF-ß1 in murine RAW 264.7 macrophage cells. Knockdown of GPR17 attenuated the BLM-induced inflammatory responses. Cangrelor (2.5 µM-10 µM) significantly alleviated BLM-induced inflammatory response in RAW 264.7 macrophage cells in concentration-dependent manner. In BLM-induced fibrotic mouse lungs, GPR17 expression and GPR17-positive macrophages were increased. Cangrelor (2.5 mg/kg-10 mg/kg) alleviated pulmonary fibrosis in dose-dependent manner. Cangrelor not only reduced the number of GPR17-positive macrophages, but also decreased BLM-induced mRNA synthesis and release of inflammatory cytokine. As such, we concluded that cangrelor alleviates BLM-induced pulmonary fibrosis by suppressing GPR17-mediated inflammation. Cangrelor could be a potential therapeutic drug for pulmonary fibrosis.

Chemical Composition, Antioxidative and Anticancer Activities of the Essential Oil: Curcumae Rhizoma-Sparganii Rhizoma, a Traditional Herb Pair.

As a classical herb pair in clinics of traditional Chinese medicine, Curcumae Rhizoma-Sparganii Rhizoma (HP CR-SR) is used for activating blood circulation to remove blood stasis. The essential components in HP CR-SR and its single herbs were comparatively analyzed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry data. 66, 22, and 54 components in volatile oils of Curcumae Rhizoma, Sparganii Rhizoma, and HP CR-SR were identified, and total contents accounted for 75.416%, 91.857%, and 79.553% respectively. The thirty-eight components were found in HP CR-SR, and not detected in single herbs Curcumae Rhizoma and Sparganii Rhizoma. The highest radical trapping action was seen by an essential oil of HP CR-SR (IC50 = 0.59 ± 0.04 mg/mL). Furthermore, the HP CR-SR essential oil showed more remarkable cytotoxicity on tumor cell lines than that of the single herbs Curcumae Rhizoma and Sparganii Rhizoma in a dose-dependent manner: IC50 values showing 32.32 ± 5.31 µg/mL (HeLa), 34.76 ± 1.82 µg/mL (BGC823), 74.84 ± 1.66 µg/mL (MCF-7), 66.12 ± 11.23 µg/mL (SKOV3), and 708.24 ± 943.91 µg/mL (A549), respectively. In summary, the essential oil of HP CR-SR is different from any one of Curcumae Rhizoma and Sparganii Rhizoma, nor simply their superposition, and HP CR-SR oil presented more remarkable anticancer and antioxidant activities compared with Curcumae Rhizoma and Sparganii Rhizoma oils.

Spectrum-effect relationships as a systematic approach to traditional chinese medicine research: current status and future perspectives.

Component fingerprints are a recognized method used worldwide to evaluate the quality of traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). To foster the strengths and circumvent the weaknesses of the fingerprint technique in TCM, spectrum-effect relationships would complementarily clarify the nature of pharmacodynamic effects in the practice of TCM. The application of the spectrum-effect relationship method is crucial for understanding and interpreting TCM development, especially in the view of the trends towards TCM modernization and standardization. The basic requirement for using this method is in-depth knowledge of the active material basis and mechanisms of action. It is a novel and effective approach to study TCMs and great progress has been made, but to make it more accurate for TCM research purposes, more efforts are needed. In this review, the authors summarize the current knowledge about the spectrum-effect relationship method, including the fingerprint methods, pharmacodynamics studies and the methods of establishing relationships between the fingerprints and pharmacodynamics. Some speculation regarding future perspectives for spectrum-effect relationship approaches in TCM modernization and standardization are also proposed.

[Dynamics of soil water under Eucommia ulmodes plantation in hilly red soil region of southern China].

By using time domain reflectometry (TDR), a fixed-position monitoring research on the dynamics of soil water under Eucommia ulmoides plantation was conducted in a hilly red soil region of southern China. The results showed that there was a significant difference in the soil water storage among different months, and the dynamics of soil water could be divided into the phases of reduction, increase, and more reduction. Soil water varied significantly in its vertical distribution, and the variation pattern also differed with seasons. The vertical distribution of soil water could be divided into two phases, i.e., accumulation and depletion based on the seasonal variation of soil water, or rainy season and dry season based on the monthly variation of rainfall. Soil water was correlated significantly (P < 0.05) with relative humidity (RH), air temperature (t), vapor pressure deficit (VPD) and rainfall (R), and regulated by these meteorological factors synthetically, among which, rainfall was the most important factor, followed by air temperature. The soil water loss rate after rain had a significant hyperbolic relationship with durative droughty days, while soil water storage had a significant linear negative relationship with this duration (P < 0.05). With the extension of drought duration after rain, soil water loss tended to vary gently with increasing soil depth.