[Microbial Mechanisms of Removal of Phthalic Acid Esters in Purple Soils Revealed Using Metagenomic Analysis].

The removal mechanisms of phthalic acid esters (PAEs) have attracted much attention because of their endocrine-disrupting properties and persistence in environmental media. In order to reveal the removal mechanism of PAEs and involved keystone taxa and functional genes, purple soils were polluted by di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP) and di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), respectively, along a gradient of 0, 5, 10, and 20 mg·kg-1 and cultured for 90 days in the dark. The results showed that the degradation dynamics of DBP and DEHP were well-fitted by the first-order kinetic model, and the half-life of DBP and DEHP ranged from 17.0 to 38.2 days. The degradation rate of DBP (5 mg·kg-1) was the fastest, and that of DEHP (20 mg·kg-1) was the slowest. The soil samples of the seventh day and the fifteenth day were analyzed using metagenomic sequencing. NMDS and cluster analysis showed that there was a significant difference between the bacterial community structure of soil samples from the seventh day and the fifteenth day. The relative abundance of Actinobacteria increased from the seventh day to the fifteenth day. The smaller the half-life of DBP or DEHP, the higher the relative abundance of Actinobacteria in the different treatments. In addition, Streptomyces was the dominant genus in all polluted soils. Co-occurrence network analysis elucidated that Pandoraea was a keystone genus of the soil bacterial communities, which could be used to indicate the pollution levels of DBP and DEHP. The results of KEGG annotation demonstrated that Pandoraea was responsible for benzoate degradation, quorum sensing, ABC transporters, and the two-component system and could promote the intercellular communications and the microbial growth and proliferation and maintain the stability of the community structure. Therefore, the degradation rate of DBP and DEHP in purple soils depended on their initial content and their own properties. Actinobacteria played an important role in the PAEs degradation, and Pandoraea played a major part in promoting PAEs degradation and regulating the stability of the structure and function of degrading bacterial communities.

Transnasal endoscopic resection of nasal chondromesenchymal hamartoma in infancy: an analysis of 5 cases.

BACKGROUND: Nasal chondromesenchymal hamartomas (NCMHs) are extremely rare benign tumors that most commonly affect children in the first year of life. The purpose of this study was to investigate and summarize the characteristics of NCMH cases and the efficacy of transnasal endoscopic resection of NCMHs. METHODS: This is a retrospective study including 5 cases of infant diagnosed as NCMH between April 2016 and April 2020. Diagnostic techniques include nasoendoscopy, computerized tomography (CT) scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with contrast and microscopic and immunohistologic studies. Data collected included patient demographics, patient symptoms, radiographic findings, characteristics of tumor growth, follow-up time, recurrence, and postoperative complications. RESULTS: In 5 cases, 3 were males and 2 were females who aged 1, 2, 3, 6 months and 1 year, respectively. The size of the mass measured 1.6 cm*1.9 cm*1.8 cm at its smallest and largest was 4.0 cm*3.5 cm*3.0 cm. All five patients underwent tumor resection via transnasal endoscopic approach. Four tumors were completely removed, and one underwent partial resection, which was completely resected by midfacial degloving operation 13 months after the first surgery. There was no postoperative complication. The current postoperative follow-up period was 1 to 4 years, and no recurrence has been observed. CONCLUSIONS: Complete surgical resection of NCHM is necessary to resolve the symptoms and prevent recurrence. Transnasal endoscopic approach is a safe and effective choice for pediatric NCMH patients.

Application of Clavien-Dindo Classification System for Complications of Minimally Invasive Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy.

Objective: To investigate the clinical applications of the Clavien-Dindo classification system (CDCS) in the assessment of perioperative complications in minimally invasive percutaneous nephrolithotomy (MPCNL). Methods: Totally, 390 patients with renal stones in our hospital from March 2015 to March 2020 were included for this study and then were divided into observation group (complication group, 78 cases) and control group (noncomplication group, 312 cases) according to the incidence of perioperative complications in CDCS. Single factor analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the risk factors of the perioperative complications of MPCNL. Results: The total incidence of complication in the 390 cases with MPCNL was 20.00% (78 cases) according to CDCS, among which the incidence of complications at grades I, II, III, IV, and V was 6.92% (27 cases), 8.21% (32 cases), 2.82% (11 cases), 1.79% (7 cases), and 0.26% (1 case), respectively. The proportion of patients, that aged >60 years, complicated with comorbidities, sophisticated calculi, the preoperative albumin level (<35 g/L), the operation time (>180 minutes), intraoperative bleeding volume (>300 mL), and hospitalization time (>7 days) in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group ((75.64% vs. 61.86%, 38.46% vs. 24.36%, 83.33% vs. 69.55%, 83.33% vs. 69.55%, 70.51% vs. 30.76%, 53.85% vs. 36.54%, and 60.26% vs. 43.27%), all P < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that gender, associated comorbidities, preoperative albumin level, calculus complexity, operation time, and intraoperative bleeding volume (>300 mL) were correlated with the occurrence of complications (P ≤ 0.001, 0.001, 0.001, 0.001, 0.003, and 0.001 respectively). Conclusion: The CDCS can give standard and more comparative criteria for the assessment of perioperative complications, which will provide reference data for reducing complications and ensuring safety profiles in these high-risk patients.

A novel JNK induces innate immune response by activating the expression of antimicrobial peptides in Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis.

c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) is a member of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) that participates in the regulation of various physiological and pathological processes. In this study, we identified a novel JNK (EsJNK) and determined the cDNA sequence of its isoform (EsJNK-a) from the Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis. The open reading frame (ORF) of EsJNK was predicted to encode 421 peptides with a serine/threonine protein kinase, a catalytic (S_TKc) domain, and a low complexity region. The ORF of EsJNK-a was 1380 bp encoding a protein with 459 amino acids, which was 38 amino acids more than that of EsJNK. The predicted tertiary structure of EsJNK was conserved and contained 15 α-helices and 10 ß-sheets. Phylogenetic tree analysis revealed that EsJNK was clustered with the JNK homologs of other crustaceans. Quantitative real-time PCR assays showed that EsJNK was expressed in all the tissues examined, but it was relatively higher in hemocytes, muscles, and intestines. The expression of EsJNK mRNA in the hemocytes was upregulated by lipopolysaccharides and peptidoglycans, as well as by Staphylococcus aureus or Vibrio parahaemolyticus challenge. Functionally, after silencing EsJNK by siRNA in crabs, the expression levels of two antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), namely, anti-lipopolysaccharide factor and crustin, were significantly inhibited. The purified recombinant EsJNK protein with His-tag accelerated the elimination of the aforementioned bacteria in vivo. However, knockdown of EsJNK had an opposite effect. These findings suggested that EsJNK might be involved in the antibacterial immune defense of crabs by regulating the transcription of AMPs.

Transnasal endoscopic repair of adult spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea with assistance of computer-assisted navigation system: an analysis of 21 cases.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate and summarize the characteristics of spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea cases and the efficacy of transnasal endoscopic repair of spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea with the assistance of computer-assisted navigation system. METHODS: This is a retrospective study including 21 adult patients with spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea who underwent transnasal endoscopic repair with the assistance of computer-assisted navigation system between January 2007 and December 2017. Data collected included patient demographics, body mass index, patient symptoms, biochemical findings, radiographic findings, location of defect, type and size of defect, type of repair, follow-up time, reoccurrence, and complications. RESULTS: Spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea was more commonly seen in females who were middle-aged and overweight in our series. The effluent was determined as cerebrospinal fluid by testing of glucose concentration and ß2-transferrin. The location of the lesion was determined by rigid nasal endoscopy combined with radiologic study. Intraoperatively, the skull base defects were found most frequently on the ethmoid roof in 12 cases (57.1%), followed by the cribriform plate in seven cases (33.3%), and sphenoid sinus in two cases (9.5%). The size of the skull base defect was < 5 mm in 13 cases, 5 mm ~ 10 mm in six cases and two cases involved defects of ≥ 10 mm. The graft materials were chosen based on the size of the defect. In small leaks, the thigh muscle was dumbbell-shaped herniated into the bony defect, reinforced by fascia lata. Larger defects were packed with the anterior part of middle turbinate with an overlay of fascia lata. All 21 patients had no recurrence of cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea during the follow-up period, which ranged from 11 to 24 months. CONCLUSION: The transnasal endoscopic approach with assistance of computer-assisted navigation system is a safe and effective procedure for the repair of spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea.

[Clinical analysis of adult spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea].

OBJECTIVES: To discuss the clinical characteristics, diagnosis and treatment of adult spontaneous cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea (CSFR). METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted on 18 patients of CSFR. Nasal secretion was collected for biochemical analysis. Imaging examination was done for identification of the bony defect in skull base. RESULTS: In all cases, the glucose concentration of nasal secretion were more than 1.7 mmol/L, and the ß-2 transferrin detected by immunoelectrophoresis technique were positive. Twelve cases were found to have bony defect in skull base. For the rest 6 cases without bony defect, MRI findings of 6 cases showed sinusoidal effusion with similar signals to cerebrospinal fluid, thus predicting the location of the leak. Conservative treatment was successful in one case, and the other 17 patients underwent endoscopic sinus surgery with computer assisted navigation system (CANS). The results of all cases underwent surgery were successful by one time. No recurrence occured during the follow-up time (11 to 24 months). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of adult CSFR is low, hence it is easily to be missed and misdiagnosed. The majority of CSFR patients are middle-aged and elderly obese women, often combined with hypertension, diabetes, moderate and severe osteoporosis due to no daily exercise habits. Correct medical history collection, reasonable preoperative examination and accurate preoperative localization of bony defect are essential for surgical repairment. CANS used during operation can enable surgeons to locate the site of leakage accurately and shorten the operation time.

Decision making in dissection range of temporal bone: refinements to enlarged translabyrinthine approach.

The aim of the study was to describe the refinements to the classic enlarged translabyrinthine approach (ETLA) by modifying the bony dissection range of temporal bone and to analyze the main outcomes achieved in a series of vestibular schwannoma (VS) cases submitted to microsurgery by ETLA. This was a retrospective study of 382 patients who underwent VS surgical removal via ETLA between January 2001 and December 2012. Among those cases, 332 were via classic ETLA, while 28 cases were via ETLA with blind sac technique and middle ear eradication and 22 via transotic approach. Total tumor removal was achieved in 368 cases, whereas near total removal in 11 patients and subtotal in 3 patients. In cases of large VS (>3 cm) via classic ETLA, good short-term and long-term facial nerve function (HB I-II) was gained in 27.8 % (32/115) and 42.6 % (49/115) cases, respectively, meanwhile in VS operated via blind sac technique, good short-term (p = 0.048) and long-term (p = 0.044) facial nerve function was reached in 44.0 % (22/50) and 60.0 % (30/50) cases, respectively. Postoperative facial nerve function was proved to be better in modified ETLA group. CSF leakage occurred in 16 (4.2 %) patients via classic ETLA. In 115 cases of large VS (>3 cm), postoperative CSF leakage occurred in 10 (8.7 %) patients. Whereas in 50 cases via blind sac technique, none developed CSF leakage (p = 0.03). The incidence of CSF leakage was lower in modified ETLA group. Our refinements to classic ETLA by changing the temporal bone resection range provide a wide surgical field, well prevention of CSF leakage and preservation of facial nerve function in large VS.