[Composition Characteristics and Construction Mechanism of Microbial Community on Microplastic Surface in Typical Redox Environments].

Microplastics are widely distributed in the biogeochemical cycle driven by microbes. Their surface is enriched with unique microbial communities, called plastispheres. Various redox environments that exist widely in the natural environment can affect the microbial composition in the plastisphere and the fate of the microplastics. To explore the microbial community composition and construction mechanism on the surface of microplastics in typical redox environments, three microplastics, PHA (polyhydroxyalkanoates), PLA (polylactic acid), and PVC (polyvinyl chloride), were placed in five specific redox environments:aerobic, nitrate reduction, iron oxide reduction, sulfate reduction, and methane production. The culture experiment simulated the microcosm, which was inoculum by sludge. The results showed that microplastic factors affected 18.94% and 46.67% of the microbial communities on the plastisphere in taxonomy and phylogeny, respectively. Redox factors affected 31.04% and 90.00% of the microbial communities on the plastisphere in taxonomy and phylogeny, respectively. Compared with that in sludge, the microbial community richness and diversity were reduced on the three microplastics. The most apparent reduction was found on the plastisphere of more degradable PHA. At the same time, microbial communities on the refractory PLA and PVC surfaces remained similar. Anaerocolumna (26.44%) was the dominant genus on the surface of PHA microplastics, whereas microbes related to the redox reaction were less enriched. Clostridium_sensu_stricto_7 (15.49% and 11.87%) was the dominant strain on PLA and PVC microplastics, and the microbes related to the redox reaction were significantly enriched. Thus, characteristic microbes involved in the redox reaction will be enriched in the surface of refractory microplastics, and microplastics may affect the rate of biogeochemical cycling.

Giant dumbbell-shaped prostatic cystadenoma presenting as pelvic and scrotal mass.

This study reports the case of an elderly man with a large tumour of the pelvic cavity and scrotum which was once diagnosed as a prostate cyst. Imaging studies considered the source of the tumour to be prostate, and the tumour was ultimately diagnosed by confirmed tissue expression of prostate specific antigen (PSA) and prostate acid phosphatase (PSAP) after surgery. This is the first report about dumbbell-shaped prostatic cystadenoma with invasive growth and even urethral damage, but there was no evidence of clear malignancy. Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial in such kinds of diseases.

Whole-Exome Sequencing Identifies Novel Recurrent Somatic Mutations in Sporadic Parathyroid Adenomas.

Primary hyperparathyroidism is commonly caused by excess production of parathyroid hormone from sporadic parathyroid adenomas. However, the genetic architecture of sporadic primary hyperparathyroidism remains largely uncharacterized, especially in the Chinese population. To identify genetic abnormalities that may be involved in the etiology of sporadic parathyroid adenomas and to determine the mutation frequency of previously identified genes in the Chinese population, we performed whole-exome sequencing of 22 blood-tumor pairs from sporadic parathyroid adenomas. The most important finding is the recurrently mutated gene, ASXL3, which has never been reported in parathyroid tumors before. Moreover, we identified two different somatic mutations in the CDC73 gene and one somatic mutation in the EZH2 gene. The Y54X mutation in the CDC73 gene was previously identified in parathyroid carcinomas, which proved that parathyroid adenomas and carcinomas might possess similar molecular signatures. No mutations in the MEN1 or CCND1 genes were observed in our study. Thus, our data provide insights into the genetic pathogenesis of sporadic parathyroid adenomas and are valuable for the development of diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for sporadic primary hyperparathyroidism.

[Double-mutated oncolytic adenovirus combined with gemcitabine for treating an orthotopic nude mouse model of bladder cancer].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the therapeutic efficacy of double-mutated oncolytic adenovirus AxdAdB-3 in combination with gemcitabine for treating bladder cancer in an orthotopic nude mouse model. METHODS: The susceptibility to the adenovirus was evaluated in bladder cancer cell lines YTS-1, T24, 5637 and KK47, and normal cell lines HCV29 and WI38. The cells were infected with AxCAlacZ and stained with 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-ß-galactoside (X-Gal). Immunostaining against adenoviral hexon protein was performed to determine the selective replication of AxdAdB-3 in the cancer cells. Flow cytometry was used to determine the YTS-1 cells in S phase of cell cycle after adenovirus infection. Cell viability after AxdAdB-3 and/or gemcitabine was measured by CCK-8 assay. Orthotopic bladder cancer model was established in nude mice, and the inhibitory efficacy of intravesical instillation therapy with AxdAdB-3 or/and gemcitabine was assessed. RESULTS: Gene transduction efficiency was different among the cell lines, and correlated with expression of CAR. 5637 and KK47 cells with high expression of CAR were more susceptible to the adenovirus, whereas YTS-1 and T24 cells with little CAR expression were resistant to adenoviral infection. Immunostaining showed that the expression levels of hexon protein varied among the cell lines. Normal cells infected with AxdAdB-3 expressed little hexon protein. The proportion of S-phase cells was (39 ± 3) % and (49 ± 5) % in the AxCAlacZ- and AxdAdB-3-infected bladder cancer cells, respectively. AxdAdB-3 effectively induced S-phase entry of cell cycle (P < 0.05). AxdAdB-3 combined with gemcitabine significantly inhibited the growth of bladder cancer cell lines. In vivo, the mean weight of the bladder tumors in mice treated with intravesical instillation of AxCAlacZ, gemcitabine, AxdAdB-3, and AxdAdB-3 + gemcitabine were 400.6, 126.4, 82. 0, 40.4 mg, respectively. Either AxdAdB-3 (P < 0.0001) and gemcitabine (P < 0.0001) suppressed the tumor growth in nude mice, and the combination therapy reduced tumors more effectively than either AxdAdB-3 (P < 0.0001) or gemcitabine (P < 0.0001) alone. CONCLUSIONS: Intravesical instillation therapy with AxdAdB-3 in combination with gemcitabine can effectively inhibit the orthotopic bladder cancer in nude mouse, and further relevant clinical studies are guaranteed.

Consumption of hydrogen-rich water protects against ferric nitrilotriacetate-induced nephrotoxicity and early tumor promotional events in rats.

The aim of this work was to test whether consumption with hydrogen-rich water (HW) alleviated renal injury and inhibited early tumor promotional events in Ferric nitrilotriacetate (Fe-NTA)-treated rats. Rats were injected with Fe-NTA solution (7.5mg Fe/kg body weight) intraperitoneally to induce renal injury and simultaneously treated with HW (1.3 ± 0.2mg/l). We found that consumption with HW ameliorated Fe-NTA-induced renal injuries including suppressing elevation of serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen and inhibited early tumor promotional events including decreasing ornithine decarboxylase activity and incorporation of [3H]thymidine into renal DNA. Consumption with HW suppressed Fe-NTA-induced oxidative stress through decreasing formation of lipid peroxidation and peroxynitrite and activities of NADPH oxidase and xanthine oxidase, increasing activity of catalase, and restoring mitochondrial function in kidneys. Consumption with HW suppressed Fe-NTA-induced inflammation marked by reduced NF-κB, IL-6, and MCP-1 expression and macrophage accumulating in kidneys. In addition, consumption with HW suppressed VEGF expression, STAT3 phosphorylation and PCNA expression in kidneys of Fe-NTA-treated rats. Consumption with HW decreased the incidence of renal cell carcinoma and suppressed tumor growth in Fe-NTA-treated in rats. In conclusion, drinking with HW attenuated Fe-NTA-induced renal injury and inhibited early tumor promotional events in rats.

Landfill leachate treatment by a coagulation-photooxidation process.

This experimental study was conducted to investigate the effect of treatment of landfill leachate by a coagulation-photooxidation process. The effects of different dosages of coagulant and different pH values on the coagulation processes were compared. The effect of different concentrations of sodium oxalate (Na(2)C(2)O(4)) on the treatment process was also studied after the coagulation was performed using FeCl(3).6H(2)O. The experimental results show that in the pH range of 3-8, the lower the pH value, the higher the efficiency of the treatment. A 24% removal of COD (chemical oxygen demand, mg(O(2)) x l(-1)) can be attained by the addition of 1000 mg x l(-1) FeCl(3). A 31% removal of COD can be attained after 4h of irradiation alone, and a 64% removal of COD can be attained after 4h irradiation at pH 3 with the addition of 500 mg x l(-1) FeCl(3).6H(2)O.