Wastewater surveillance together with metaviromic data revealed the unusual resurgence of infectious diseases after the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak.

How to address public health priorities after COVID-19 is becoming a critical task. To this end, we conducted wastewater surveillance for six leading pathogens, namely, SARS-CoV-2, norovirus, rotavirus, influenza A virus (IAV), enteroviruses and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), in Nanchang city from January to April 2023. Metaviromic sequencing was conducted at the 1st, 4th, 7th, 9th, 12th and 14th weeks to reveal the dynamics of viral pathogens that were not covered by qPCR. Amplicon sequencing of the conserved region of norovirus GI and GII and the rotavirus and region encoding nonstructural protein of RSV was also conducted weekly. The results showed that after a rapid decrease in SARS-CoV-2 sewage concentrations occurred in January 2023, surges of norovirus, rotavirus, IAV and RSV started at the 6th, 7th, 8th and 11th weeks, respectively. The dynamics of the sewage concentrations of norovirus, rotavirus, IAV and RSV were consistent with the off-season resurgence of the above infectious diseases. Notably, peak sewage concentrations of norovirus GI, GII, rotavirus, IAV and RSV were found at the 6th, 3rd, 7th, 7th and 8th weeks, respectively. Astroviruses also resurge after the 7th week, as revealed by metaviromic data, suggesting that wastewater surveillance together with metaviromic data provides an essential early warning tool for revealing patterns of infectious disease resurgence.

Tailored wastewater surveillance framework uncovered the epidemics of key pathogens in a Northwestern city of China.

Wastewater surveillance enables rapid pathogen monitoring and community prevalence estimation. However, how to design an integrated and tailored wastewater surveillance framework to monitor major health threats in metropolises remains a major challenge. In this study, we first analyzed the historical clinical data of Xi'an city and designed a wastewater surveillance framework covering five key endemic viruses, namely, SARS-CoV-2, norovirus, influenza A virus (IAV), influenza B virus (IBV), respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and hantavirus. Amplicon sequencing of SARS-CoV-2, norovirus and hantavirus was conducted biweekly to determine the prevalent community genotypes circulating in this region. The results showed that from April 2023 to August 2023, Xi'an experienced two waves of SARS-CoV-2 infection, which peaked in the middle of May-2023 and late August-2023. The sewage concentrations of IAV and RSV peaked in early March and early May 2023, respectively, while the sewage concentrations of norovirus fluctuated throughout the study period and peaked in late August. The dynamics of the sewage concentrations of SARS-CoV-2, norovirus, IAV, RSV, and hantavirus were in line with the trends in the sentinel hospital percent positivity data, indicating the role of wastewater surveillance in enhancing the understanding of epidemic trends. Amplicon sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 revealed a transition in the predominant genotype, which changed from DY.1 and FR.1.4 to the XBB and EG.5 subvariants. Amplicon sequencing also revealed that there was only one predominant hantavirus genotype in the local population, while highly diverse genotypes of norovirus GI and GII were found in the wastewater. In conclusion, this study provided valuable insights into the dynamics of infection trends and predominant genotypes of key pathogens in a city without sufficient clinical surveillance, highlighting the role of a tailored wastewater surveillance framework in addressing public health priorities. More importantly, our study provides the first evidence demonstrating the applicability of wastewater surveillance for hantavirus, which is a major health threat locally.

Highly stable and antifungal properties on the oilseed rape of Cu3(MoO4)2(OH)2 nanoflakes prepared by simple aqueous precipitation.

In the last few decades, nanoparticles have been a prominent topic in various fields, particularly in agriculture, due to their unique physicochemical properties. Herein, molybdenum copper lindgrenite Cu3(MoO4)2(OH)2 (CM) nanoflakes (NFs) are synthesized by a one-step reaction involving α-MoO3 and CuCO3⋅Cu(OH)2⋅xH2O solution at low temperature for large scale industrial production and developed as an effective antifungal agent for the oilseed rape. This synthetic method demonstrates great potential for industrial applications. Infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) results reveal that CM samples exhibit a pure monoclinic structure. TG and DSC results show the thermal stable properties. It can undergo a phase transition form copper molybdate (Cu3Mo2O9) at about 300 °C. Then Cu3Mo2O9 nanoparticles decompose into at CuO and MoO3 at 791 °C. The morphology of CM powder is mainly composed of uniformly distributed parallelogram-shaped nanoflakes with an average thickness of about 30 nm. Moreover, the binding energy of CM NFs is measured to be 2.8 eV. To assess the antifungal properties of these materials, both laboratory and outdoor experiments are conducted. In the pour plate test, the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of CM NFs against Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (S. sclerotiorum) is determined to be 100 ppm, and the zone of inhibiting S. sclerotiorum is 14 mm. When the concentration is above 100 nm, the change rate of the hyphae circle slows down a little and begins to decrease until to 200 ppm. According to the aforementioned findings, the antifungal effects of a nano CM NFs solution are assessed at different concentrations (0 ppm (clear water), 40 ppm, and 80 ppm) on the growth of oilseed rape in an outdoor setting. The results indicate that the application of CM NFs led to significant inhibition of S. sclerotiorum. Specifically, when the nano CM solution was sprayed once at the initial flowering stage at a concentration of 80 ppm, S. sclerotiorum growth was inhibited by approximately 34%. Similarly, when the solution was sprayed once at the initial flowering stage and once at the rape pod stage, using a concentration of 40 ppm, a similar level of inhibition was achieved. These outcomes show that CM NFs possess the ability to bind with more metal ions due to their larger specific surface area. Additionally, their semiconductor physical properties enable the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Therefore, CM NFs hold great potential for widespread application in antifungal products.

Decoding the Cell Atlas and Inflammatory Features of Human Intracranial Aneurysm Wall by Single-Cell RNA Sequencing.

BACKGROUND: Intracranial aneurysm (IA) is common and occasionally results in life-threatening hemorrhagic strokes. However, the cell architecture and inflammation in the IA dome remain less understood. METHODS AND RESULTS: Single-cell RNA sequencing was performed on ruptured and unruptured human IA domes for delineating the cell atlas, gene expression perturbations, and inflammation features. Two external bulk mRNA sequencing-based data sets and serological results of 126 patients were collected for validation. As a result, a total of 21 332 qualified cells were captured. Vascular cells, including endothelial cells, smooth muscle cells, fibroblasts, and pericytes, were assigned in extremely sparse numbers (4.84%), and were confirmed by immunofluorescence staining. Pericytes, characterized by ABCC9 and HIGD1B, were identified in the IA dome for the first time. Abundant immune cells were identified, with the proportion of monocytes/macrophages and neutrophils being remarkably higher in ruptured IA. The lymphocyte compartment was also thoroughly categorized. By leveraging external data sets and machine learning algorithms, macrophages were robustly associated with IA rupture, irrespective of their polarization status. The single nucleotide polymorphism rs2280543, which is identified in East Asian populations, was associated with macrophage metabolic reprogramming through regulating TALDO1 expression. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides insights into the cellular architecture and inflammatory features in the IA dome and may enlighten novel therapeutics for unruptured IA.

The Prevention and Treatment of Pulmonary Nodules “Nodule-cancer Transformation” Based on the View of “Disease with Latent Pathogen Induced by a New Pathogen” / 中医杂志

As one of the pathogenic mechanisms contained in The Inner Canon of Yellow Emperor （《黄帝内经》）， “disease with latent pathogen induced by a new pathogen” means that the induced new pathogen resulted to a combination of the latent previous pathogen and the new pathogen， which caused the disease. Based on this， it is believed that the change of “nodule-cancer transformation” of pulmonary nodules is actually based on the deficiency of original qi， and the new pathogen induces the latent pathogens like phlegm coagulation， qi stagnation， blood stasis， toxicity， so healthy qi can not drive the pathogens out， and the long-time detention generated into cancerous turbidity， and deve-loped into cancerous tumour at the end. Therefore， based on the three-stage treatment of unformed cancer， dense cancerous toxin， and developed cancer， the clinical practice applied six methods of clearing， expelling， dissipating， tonifying， harmonizing， and transforming， taking into account both the manifestation and root cause， moving the treatment window of pulmonary nodules forward， attacking the pathogens when the toxin was not yet overbearing， supporting the healthy qi before declining， delaying the process of nodules-cancer transformation， and providing ideas for the prevention and treatment of pulmonary nodules “nodule-cancer transformation” in traditional Chinese medicine.

Research progress in the diagnosis and treatment of neurotrophic keratitis / 国际眼科杂志(Guoji Yanke Zazhi)

Neurotrophic keratitis(NK)is a degenerative corneal disease caused by impairment of trigeminal innervations. It can lead to spontaneous corneal epithelial defects, corneal ulceration and perforation. Early diagnosis of NK is crucial and requires accurate investigation of clinical history and thorough examination of ocular surface to determine clinical stage. Treatment for NK needs to be divided into stages according to disease severity. In addition to conventional treatments including artificial tears, blepharorrhaphy, and amniotic membrane transplantation, there are also emerging treatments such as targeted drug therapy and corneal neurotization. This article summarized the epidemiology, clinical manifestations and classification, etiology, diagnosis, differential diagnosis and treatment of NK, aiming to provide reference for the early diagnosis and treatment of NK in the future.

Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Disease by Targeting M1/M2 Macrophage Polarization Balance with Traditional Chinese Medicine and Active Components： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

Inflammatory bowel disease （IBD）， consisting of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease， is a chronic relapsing inflammatory gastrointestinal disease closely associated with immune dysfunction. The pathogenesis of IBD is closely related to genetic susceptibility， immune system dysfunction， environmental change， and intestinal microbial dysbiosis. Modern research has found that macrophage polarization plays an important role in the development of IBD and can affect the level of inflammatory response， intestinal mucosal repair， and intestinal microbial balance， making it a potential target for IBD treatment. Increasing evidence suggests that traditional Chinese medicine and its active components can regulate macrophage polarization through multiple pathways and balance the M1/M2 macrophage ratio， thus inhibiting inflammatory response， promoting intestinal mucosal repair， and slowing down the progression of IBD. This article summarized the biological processes and targets involved in macrophage polarization and discussed its impact on IBD. It also provided a brief overview of the latest research on how traditional Chinese medicine and its active components can improve IBD by regulating macrophage polarization， so as to provide new directions and strategies for the clinical application of traditional Chinese medicine in IBD treatment.

Preliminary identification of the cloning， expression， and function of Marmota himalayana type I interferon receptor β subunit / 临床肝胆病杂志

ObjectiveTo clone the gene of Marmota himalayana type ‍Ⅰ interferon receptor β subunit （mhIFNAR2）， and to perform antibody preparation and functional identification. MethodsRT-PCR was used for amplification in the spleen tissue of Marmota himalayana to obtain the sequence， which was cloned to the prokaryotic expression vector pRSET-B to express the recombinant protein. Electrophoresis and Western blot were used for identification. BALB/c mice were immunized with the recombinant protein to prepare the polyclonal antibody of its extracellular domain； immunohistochemistry， immunofluorescence assay， and Western Blot were used for identification， and the method of siRNA blockade was used to investigate its function. An analysis of variance was used for comparison of continuous data between multiple groups， and the least significant difference t-test was used for comparison between two groups. ResultsA fragment of mhIFNAR2 （149‍ ‍—‍ ‍1 ‍300 bp） was obtained from spleen tissue， which showed the highest homology of 98.05% in marmot. A prokaryotic expression plasmid was successfully constructed for expression of the extracellular domain of the mhIFNAR2（50-181aa） and was named pRSET-B.mhIFNAR2， and the recombinant protein expressed by this plasmid had a molecular weight of 27 kD， a purity of about 95% after purification， and a concentration of 160 μg/mL. After BALB/c mice were immunized with the purified recombinant protein， 1∶1 000 specific polyclonal antibodies were obtained， and immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence assay showed the expression in cell membrane and cytoplasm. Among the three siRNAs synthesized， the siRNA starting from the 277 locus （siRNA277） could silence the expression of target genes and weaken the interferon signaling pathway compared with the blank control group and the negative control group （both P<0.05）. ConclusionThe fragment of mhIFNAR2 is obtained， and the polyclonal antibody for the extracellular domain of mhIFNAR2 is successfully prepared， with relatively high titer and specificity， and can be used for immunohistochemistry， immunofluorescence assay， and Western blot.

Research progress in pharmacokinetics and therapeutic drug monitoring of tyrosine kinase inhibitors in the treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumors / 中国药房

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors （TKIs） represent a class of small-molecule targeted drugs that improve the survival time of patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumor （GIST）. Imatinib， sunitinib， regorafenib， ripretinib， and avapritinib are commonly used TKIs in the clinical treatment of various types of GIST. This article provides a comprehensive review of the pharmacokinetics and therapeutic drug monitoring （TDM） of these five drugs， finding that there is significant individual variability in the pharmacokinetics of these drugs. Among them， the absorption of imatinib， regorafenib， and avapritinib are influenced by food intake. Imatinib should be taken with meals and 200 mL of water， regorafenib is taken with a low-fat meal， while avapritinib is taken on an empty stomach. TKIs are mainly metabolized by cytochrome P450 3A4 （CYP3A4）， and when used in combination with CYP3A4 inducers or inhibitors， drug exposure levels will significantly change； apart from metabolic enzymes， the exposure levels of TKIs are also influenced by interactions with the transporter proteins P-glycoprotein and breast cancer resistance protein. Currently， research on TDM for TKIs is still in the exploratory stage， with a substantial amount of literature reporting the effective concentrations of imatinib， sunitinib and regorafenib. However， the precise relationship between exposure levels and efficacy/ toxicity needs further exploration. Currently， there is a lack of research on the correlation between exposure levels and efficacy/ toxicity of ripretinib and avapritinib. It is recommended to implement TDM in patients taking these drugs and explore their therapeutic window in combination with pharmacokinetic models. The commonly used methods for clinical TDM of TKIs include immunoassay， chromatography， and surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy， providing a technical basis for clarifying the therapeutic window of TKIs.

Inhibitory effect and mechanism of total flavonoids from Melicope pteleifolia on transplanted tumor of colorectal cancer in nude mice / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE To study the inhibitory effect and mechanism of total flavonoids from Melicope pteleifolia （TF-MPL） on transplanted tumor of colorectal cancer in nude mice. METHODS The transplanted tumor model of colorectal cancer was induced by injecting 0.2 mL colorectal cancer cell LoVo subcutaneously via the right armpit of nude mice. After successful modeling， nude mice were randomly divided into model group， 5-fluorouracil group （positive control， 10 mg/kg）， TF-MPL high- dose and low-dose groups （25， 12.5 mg/kg）； a normal group （normal saline containing 0.3% carboxymethyl cellulose sodium） without modeling was additionally set up， with 6 mice in each group. Each group was intraperitoneally injected with the corresponding drug solution/solvent for 21 consecutive days. The inhibitory rate of the transplanted tumor， liver and spleen index， and the levels of tumor necrosis factor-α （TNF-α） and interleukin-6 （IL-6） in serum were detected after the last medication； the morphological changes of tumor tissue were observed； immunohistochemical staining was used to detect protein expressions of Toll- like receptor 4 （TLR4） and nuclear factor-κB subunit p65 （NF-κB p65） in tumor tissue of nude mice. Western blot assay was used to detect protein expressions of TLR4， myeloid differentiation factor 88 （MyD88）， TNF receptor-associated factor 6 （TRAF6）， interleukin-1 receptor-associated kinase 1 （IRAK-1）， NF-κB p65 and caspase-3 in tumor tissue of nude mice. RESULTS Compared with the model group， TF-MPL high-dose group showed a significant decrease in tumor weight （inhibitory rate of 36.91%）， liver and spleen index， serum levels of TNF-α and IL-6 and protein expressions of TLR4， MyD88， TRAF6，IRAK-1 and NF- κB p65 （P＜0.05 or P＜0.01）； the expression of caspase-3 protein was increased significantly （P＜0.05）， and more tumor cell shrinkage and deformation， nuclear pyknosis and fragmentation were observed. CONCLUSIONS TF-MPL can significantly inhibit the growth of transplanted tumor of colorectal cancer in nude mice， the mechanism of which may be associated with reducing inflammatory response， inhibiting TLR4/MyD88/NF-κB signaling pathway， and promoting apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells.

Current status of AIDS knowledge, attitudes, practices and associated factors of high risk sexual behavior among college students in Tianjin City / 中国学校卫生

Objective@#To understand the current status of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) knowledge, attitudes, and practices of college students in Tianjin City and to further investigate the associated factors of high risk sexual behaviors, so as to provide a scientific and theoretical basis for accurate prevention and treatment of AIDS.@*Methods@#A stratified cluster random sample of 64 697 students in 56 colleges and universities in Tianjin City in November to December 2022 was investigated about the current status of AIDS knowledge, attitudes and practices. Information was collected using online survey via Questionnaire Star. Descriptive analysis was used for the current status of AIDS knowledge, attitudes and practices among college students. Chi square test and multiple Logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the influencing factors of high risk sexual behavior among college students.@*Results@#The AIDS awareness rate of college students in Tianjin City reached 87.33%. The sexual openness rate was 70.73 %. Among the 3 463 students who had sex during the past year, 42.13% of students reported high risk sexual behavior. Multivariate Logistic regression showed that female, having a romantic partner, having received sex education and prevention and treatment knowledge of AIDS were negatively associated with high risk sexual behavior ( OR =0.66, 0.59, 0.81, 0.59, P <0.05). Being in sophomore year, non heterosexuality (homosexuality, bisexuality, not knowing), prejudice against AIDS, and misunderstanding the testing methods for AIDS showed positive correlations with highrisk sexual behavior ( OR =1.22, 2.49, 2.30, 3.17, 1.43, 1.22 , P <0.05).@*Conclusions@#The awareness rate of AIDS in college students in Tianjin is high, but high risk sexual behaviors are still at a high level. Further targeted knowledge education and behavioral interventions are needed to scientifically prevent the spread of AIDS.

Mitochondria-specific near-infrared photoactivation of peroxynitrite upconversion luminescent nanogenerator for precision cancer gas therapy

Gas therapy is emerging as a highly promising therapeutic strategy for cancer treatment. However, there are limitations, including the lack of targeted subcellular organelle accuracy and spatiotemporal release precision, associated with gas therapy. In this study, we developed a series of photoactivatable nitric oxide (NO) donors NRh-R-NO (R = Me, Et, Bn, iPr, and Ph) based on an N-nitrosated upconversion luminescent rhodamine scaffold. Under the irradiation of 808 nm light, only NRh-Ph-NO could effectively release NO and NRh-Ph with a significant turn-on frequency upconversion luminescence (FUCL) signal at 740 nm, ascribed to lower N-N bond dissociation energy. We also investigated the involved multistage near-infrared-controlled cascade release of gas therapy, including the NO released from NRh-Ph-NO along with one NRh-Ph molecule generation, the superoxide anion O2⋅- produced by the photodynamic therapy (PDT) effect of NRh-Ph, and highly toxic peroxynitrite anion (ONOO‒) generated from the co-existence of NO and O2⋅-. After mild nano-modification, the nanogenerator (NRh-Ph-NO NPs) empowered with superior biocompatibility could target mitochondria. Under an 808 nm laser irradiation, NRh-Ph-NO NPs could induce NO/ROS to generate RNS, causing a decrease in the mitochondrial membrane potential and initiating apoptosis by caspase-3 activation, which further induced tumor immunogenic cell death (ICD). In vivo therapeutic results of NRh-Ph-NO NPs showed augmented RNS-potentiated gas therapy, demonstrating excellent biocompatibility and effective tumor inhibition guided by real-time FUCL imaging. Collectively, this versatile strategy defines the targeted RNS-mediated cancer therapy.

Predictors of mortality in patients with isolated gastrointestinal perforation.

Gastrointestinal (GI) perforation is common in the emergency department and has a high mortality rate. The present study aimed to identify risk factors for mortality in patients with GI perforation. The objective was to assess and prognosticate the surgical outcomes of patients, aiming to ascertain the efficacy of the procedure for individual patients. A retrospective cohort study of patients with GI perforation who underwent surgery in a public tertiary hospital in China from January 2012 to June 2022 was performed. Demographics, clinical characteristics, laboratory and imaging results, and outcomes were collected from electronic medical records. The primary outcome measure was in-hospital mortality, and patients were divided into survivor and non-survivor groups based on this measure. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to obtain independent factors associated with mortality. A total of 529 patients with GI perforation were eligible for inclusion. The in-hospital mortality rate after emergency surgery was 10.59%. The median age of the patients was 60 years (interquartile range, 44-72 years). Multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated that age, shock on admission, elevated serum creatinine (sCr) and white blood cell (WBC) count <3.5x109 or >20x109 cells/l were predictors of in-hospital mortality. In conclusion, advanced age, shock on admission, elevated sCr levels and significantly abnormal WBC count are associated with higher in-hospital mortality following emergency laparotomy.

Surveillance, epidemiology, and impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 interventions on the incidence of enterovirus infections in Nanchang, China, 2010-2022.

Introduction: Pathogen spectrum of Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) has substantially changed in the past decade in China. Growing evidence has indicated that anti-COVID-19 nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) can support control of various infectious diseases, including intestinal diseases. Methods: In this study, HFMD cases were enrolled from sentinel hospitals of Nanchang, Jiangxi province, and enteroviruses were genotyped using specific real time RT-PCR. We systematically characterized the epidemiology of HFMD based on the continuous molecular surveillance and estimated the impact of COVID-19 intervention on HFMD incidence using seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) models. Results: A total of 10247 HFMD cases were included during 2010-2022, of which 6121 enterovirus (EV)-positive cases (59.7%) were identified by real-time RT-PCR. Over 80% cases were associated with EV-A71 and coxsackievirus A16 (CVA16) during 2010-2012, while the type distribution significantly changed as CVA6 emerged to be dominant, accounting for 22.6%-59.6% during 2013-2022. It was observed that the prevalence patterns of EV-A71 and CVA16 were similar and both of them peaked in the second quarter and then leveled off. However, CVA6 was generally prevalent around the fourth quarter, demonstrating a staggered prevalence during 2010-2019. During the COVID-19 epidemic, the seasonal HFMD epidemic peak was restrained, and the ARIMA analysis indicated that the COVID-19 intervention had mitigated EV transmission during the first COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020. In addition, bivariate Spearman's cross-correlation coefficients were estimated for the major types CVA6, CVA16 and EV-A71. Our analyses indicated the possible existence of correlations among CVA6, CVA16 and EV-A71 prevalence in the epidemiological level. Discussion: Taken together, the type distribution of HFMD has substantially changed over the last decade and CVA6 and CVA16 are currently the most predominant types co-circulating in Nanchang. The anti-COVID-19 NPIs significantly reduced the incidence of EV infections.

Effects of intrinsic foot muscle strengthening on the medial longitudinal arch mobility and function: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To Investigate the effects of intrinsic foot muscle (IFM) strengthening on foot's medial longitudinal arch (MLA) mobility and function in healthy individuals. We also identified exercise type and resistance training characteristics (series and repetitions). METHODS: Eight databases were searched, between October 2020 and February 2021 and updated in May 2021. We included randomized controlled trials involving IFM strengthening exercises compared with controls (no exercise or exercises not involving isolated intrinsic foot muscle strengthening). Methodological quality of the studies was assessed using PEDro scale and Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Quality of evidence was evaluated using GRADE model (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations). RESULTS: Four randomized controlled trials (RCT) were included. IFM strengthening did not change MLA mobility in the short-term (4 weeks); however, it promoted medium-term effects (8 weeks - low quality of evidence). IFM exercises improved function in the short and medium-term (low quality of evidence). Most studies used the short-foot exercise and the toe-towel curl exercise with contractions of 5 s and load progression from sitting to standing. CONCLUSION: IFM strengthening exercises change MLA mobility in the medium-term (8 weeks) and improve the dynamic balance of healthy individuals in short- (4 weeks) and medium-terms.

Joint polarization detection and degradation mechanisms for underwater image enhancement.

Light absorption and scattering exist in the underwater environment, which can lead to blurring, reduced brightness, and color distortion in underwater images. Polarized images have the advantages of eliminating underwater scattering interference, enhancing contrast, and detecting material information of the object in underwater detection. In this paper, from the perspective of polarization imaging, different concentrations (0.15 g/ml, 0.30 g/ml, and 0.50 g/ml), different wave bands (red, green, and blue), different materials (copper, wood, high-density PVC, aluminum, cloth, foam, cloth sheet, low-density PVC, rubber, and porcelain tile), and different depths (10 cm, 20 cm, 30 cm, and 40 cm) are set up in a chamber for the experimental environment. By combining the degradation mechanism of underwater images and the analysis of polarization detection results, it is proved that the degree of polarization images have greater advantages than degree of linear polarization images, degree of circular polarization images, S1, S2, and S3 images, and visible images underwater. Finally, a fusion algorithm of underwater visible images and polarization images based on compressed sensing is proposed to enhance underwater degraded images. To improve the quality of fused images, we introduce orthogonal matching pursuit (OMP) in the high-frequency part to improve image sparsity and consistency detection in the low-frequency part to improve the image mutation phenomenon. The fusion results show that the peak SNR values of the fusion result maps using OMP in this paper are improved by 32.19% and 22.14% on average over those using backpropagation and subspace pursuit methods. With different materials and concentrations, the underwater image enhancement algorithm proposed in this paper improves information entropy, average gradient, and standard deviation by 7.76%, 18.12%, and 40.8%, respectively, on average over previous algorithms. The image NIQE value shows that the image quality obtained by this paper's algorithm is improved by about 69.26% over the original S0 image.

Atrophic gastritis rather than Helicobacter pylori infection can be an independent risk factor of colorectal polyps: a retrospective study in China.

BACKGROUND: Colonoscopy is considered the most effective screening method for colorectal polyps. However, the longevity and complexity of the procedure makes it less desirable to screen for colorectal polyps in the general population. Therefore, it is essential to identify other independent risk factors. In this study, we explored the link between Hp infection, atrophic gastritis, and colorectal polyps to identify a new potential risk factors of colorectal polyps. METHODS: In this study, atrophic gastritis and intestinal polyps were diagnosed by endoscopy and pathology. All the 792 patients in this retrospective study were divided into sub-groups based on the presence of colorectal polyps. The correlation between polyps and atrophic gastritis was analyzed using the chi-square test and Kruskal-Wallis test. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to compare the predictive value for colorectal polyps between Hp infection and atrophic gastritis. Binary logistic regression was utilized to identify independent risk factors for colorectal polyps. RESULTS: Patients with colorectal polyps were primarily male with advanced age, and the number of patients with colorectal polyps had a higher association with smoking, alcohol drinking, and Hp infection than the control group. A positive correlation between the number of colorectal polyps and the severity of atrophic gastritis was observed. ROC analysis showed that atrophic gastritis was a better risk factors for colorectal polyps. Multivariate analysis identified atrophic gastritis as an independent risk factor for colorectal polyps (OR 2.294; 95% CI 1.597-3.296). CONCLUSIONS: Atrophic gastritis confirmed could be an independent risk factors for colorectal polyps.

Assessment of potential ecological risk based on the vertical characteristics of potential toxic elements in sediments from a high-density cage culture reservoir in China.

The pollution of sediments around Lu Ban Island is a serious environmental issue that is threatening human health. The concentration of As, Cd, Cu, Cr, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn at 73 layer points were investigated, vertical distribution characteristics, correlation among potential toxic elements and potential ecological risks of sediments at different depth were analyzed. The following results were obtained, (1) the hypothesis that there was a linear relationship between concentration of potential toxic elements and the reciprocal of deep was reasonable. Based on hypothesis, the ultimate value of concentration by making depth go to infinity was regarded as the background concentration. The background concentration of As, Cd, Cu, Cr, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn are respectively 4.94 mg/kg, 0.20 mg/kg, 15.48 mg/kg, 58.41 mg/kg, 0.062 mg/kg, 26.96 mg/kg, 20.29 mg/kg, and 53.31 mg/kg. (2) But correlation between Ni and As was relatively weak, high degree of correlation among other potential toxic elements were found. Based on their correlation, eight potential toxic elements were classified into three groups. First group included Ni and Cr, mainly releasing by coal burning; Cu, Pb, Zn, Hg, and Cd were grouped together, possibly due to their shared source of fish cage culture; Arsenic with relatively weak correlation with other potential toxic elements was classified as a separate class, which was usually one important mineral resource associated with phosphate. (3) Potential ecological risk index (PERI) of sediment above - 0.40 m belonged to moderate risk, the PERI of sediment in - 0.10 m, - 0.20 m, and - 0.40 m were 289.06, 254.33, and 201.44, respectively. Sediment below - 0.40 m belonged to low risk with average PERI value 112.82, with no significant changes in PERI values. The order of contribution to PERI was Hg > Cd > As > Cu > Pb > Ni > Cr > Zn. (4) According to result of cluster analysis and potential ecological risk, the potential ecological risk of sediment above - 0.40 m mainly contributed by potential toxic elements of Cu, Cd, Hg, Pb, and Zn sharing source of fish cage culture.

Rapid quantification of the adulteration of pomegranate juices by Raman spectroscopy and chemometrics.

The juice drink industry has repeatedly been exposed to adulteration. Unscrupulous producers, for example, use cheap juice for substitution in the pursuit of more significant economic benefits, which presents a tremendous challenge for the control of the quality of drinks. The objective of this study was to apply Raman spectroscopy combined with chemometrics to rapidly quantify the adulteration concentration of apple juice or grape juice in pomegranate juice. Two supervised learning algorithms: partial least squares regression (PLSR) and support vector machine regression (SVR) were used to analyze the Raman spectra of 114 samples. The coefficient of determination (R2), root mean square error (RMSE), and residual prediction deviation (RPD) of the prediction set when using PLSR and SVR to predict the adulterated concentration of apple juice in pomegranate juice were 0.9357 and 0.9465, 6.446% and 5.974%, 3.945 and 4.322, respectively. The R2, RMSE, and RPD of the prediction set when using PLSR and SVR to predict the adulteration concentration of grape juice in pomegranate juice were 0.9501 and 0.9502, 6.334% and 5.571%, and 4.475 and 4.481, respectively. It was concluded that Raman spectroscopy combined with chemometrics has excellent potential for application as a rapid quantitative method to detect adulterated concentrations of pomegranate juice.