Association Between Red Cell Distribution Width and Liver Injury after Cardiac and Aortic Aneurysm Surgery with Cardiopulmonary Bypass.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the association between preoperative red blood cell distribution width (RDW) levels and liver injury (LI) after cardiac surgery, to highlight RDW's usefulness in the early identification and intervention for patients at high risk of LI. DESIGN: A retrospective observational study. SETTING: A university-affiliated teaching hospital and tertiary referral center. PARTICIPANTS: Adult patients who underwent cardiac and aortic aneurysm surgery at Changhai Hospital in 2021. INTERVENTIONS: Postoperative LI was defined by increased liver enzyme levels and/or hyperbilirubinemia, noted from the time of surgery to discharge. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the RDW-LI relationship, with stratified analyses based on age, gender, and anemia. Survival within 30 days was assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method, with survival curve differences analyzed via the log-rank test. The study included 3 sets of sensitivity analyses. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Postoperative LI was observed in 75 patients (10%). Multivariate regression analysis showed a significant association between high RDW levels and postoperative LI (adjusted odds ratio, 3.25; p = 0.033; 95% confidence intefal, 1.10-9.63), even after adjusting for all covariates. This association remained consistent across 3 sets of sensitivity analyses. Subgroup analysis showed men had a higher correlation with LI (p for interaction = 0.041). Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated a significantly lower survival rate in the LI group (76%) compared with the non-LI group (99.6%; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Preoperative RDW levels are significantly associated with postoperative LI. RDW could serve as a significant useful marker for early detection and intervention in patients at high risk of LI, thereby potentially improving patient outcomes.

Establishment of a visualized mouse orthotopic xenograft model of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Mouse orthotopic xenograft tumor models are commonly employed in studies investigating the mechanisms underlying the development and progression of tumors and their preclinical treatment. However, the unavailability of mature and visualized orthotopic xenograft models of nasopharyngeal carcinoma limits the development of treatment strategies for this cancer. The aim of this study was to provide a simple and reliable method for building an orthotopic xenograft model of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Human nasopharyngeal carcinoma (C666-1-luc) cells, stably expressing the firefly luciferase gene, were injected subcutaneously into the right axilla of BALB/C nude mice. Four weeks later, the resulting subcutaneous tumors were cut into small blocks and grafted into the nasopharynx of immunodeficient BALB/C nude mice to induce tumor formation. Tumor growth was monitored by bioluminescence imaging and small animal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The expression of histological and immunological antigens associated with orthotopic xenograft nasopharyngeal carcinoma was analyzed by tissue section analysis and immunohistochemistry (IHC). A visualized orthotopic xenograft nasopharyngeal carcinoma model was successfully developed in this study. Luminescence signal detection, micro-MRI, and hematoxylin and eosin staining revealed the successful growth of tumors in the nasopharynx of the nude mice. Moreover, IHC analysis detected cytokeratin (CK), CK5/6, P40, and P63 expression in the orthotopic tumors, consistent with the reported expression of these antigens in human nasopharyngeal tumors. This study established a reproducible, visual, and less lethal orthotopic xenograft model of nasopharyngeal carcinoma, providing a platform for preclinical research.

The incidence, risk factors, and prognosis of acute kidney injury in patients after cardiac surgery.

Background: Acute kidney injury (AKI) represents a significant complication following cardiac surgery, associated with increased morbidity and mortality rates. Despite its clinical importance, there is a lack of universally applicable and reliable methods for the early identification and diagnosis of AKI. This study aimed to examine the incidence of AKI after cardiac surgery, identify associated risk factors, and evaluate the prognosis of patients with AKI. Method: This retrospective study included adult patients who underwent cardiac surgery at Changhai Hospital between January 7, 2021, and December 31, 2021. AKI was defined according to the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) criteria. Perioperative data were retrospectively obtained from electronic health records. Logistic regression analyses were used to identify independent risk factors for AKI. The 30-day survival was assessed using the Kaplan-Meier method, and differences between survival curves for different AKI severity levels were compared using the log-rank test. Results: Postoperative AKI occurred in 257 patients (29.6%), categorized as stage 1 (179 patients, 20.6%), stage 2 (39 patients, 4.5%), and stage 3 (39 patients, 4.5%). The key independent risk factors for AKI included increased mean platelet volume (MPV) and the volume of intraoperative cryoprecipitate transfusions. The 30-day mortality rate was 3.2%. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed a lower survival rate in the AKI group (89.1%) compared to the non-AKI group (100%, P < 0.001). Conclusion: AKI was notably prevalent following cardiac surgery in this study, significantly impacting survival rates. Notably, MPV and administration of cryoprecipitate may have new considerable predictive significance. Proactive identification and management of high-risk individuals are essential for reducing postoperative complications and mortality.

Evidence and causes of recent decreases in nitrogen deposition in temperate forests in Northeast China.

High reactive nitrogen (N) emissions due to anthropogenic activities in China have led to an increase in N deposition and ecosystem degradation. The Chinese government has strictly regulated reactive N emissions since 2010, however, determining whether N deposition has reduced requires long-term monitoring. Here, we report the patterns of N deposition at a rural forest site (Qingyuan) in northeastern China over the last decade. We collected 456 daily precipitation samples from 2014 to 2022 and analysed the temporal dynamics of N deposition. NH4+-N, NO3--N, and total inorganic N (TIN) deposition ranged from 10.5 ± 3.5 (mean ± SD), 6.1 ± 1.6, and 16.6 ± 4.7 kg N ha-1 year-1, respectively. Over the measurement period, TIN deposition at Qingyuan decreased by 55 %, whereas that in comparable sites in East Asia declined by 14-34 %. We used a random forest model to determine factors influencing the deposition of NH4+-N, NO3--N, and TIN during the study period. NH4+-N deposition decreased by 60 % because of decreased agricultural NH3 emissions. Furthermore, NO3--N deposition decreased by 42 %, due to reduced NOx emissions from agricultural soil and fossil fuel combustion. The steep decline in N deposition in northeastern China was attributed to reduced coal consumption, improved emission controls on automobiles, and shifts in agricultural practices. Long-term monitoring is needed to assess regional air quality and the impact of N emission control regulations.

Large Seasonal Variation in Nitrogen Isotopic Abundances of Ammonia Volatilized from a Cropland Ecosystem and Implications for Regional NH3 Source Partitioning.

Ammonia (NH3) volatilization from agricultural lands is a main source of atmospheric reduced nitrogen species (NHx). Accurately quantifying its contribution to regional atmospheric NHx deposition is critical for controlling regional air nitrogen pollution. The stable nitrogen isotope composition (expressed by δ15N) is a promising indicator to trace atmospheric NHx sources, presupposing a reliable nitrogen isotopic signature of NH3 emission sources. To obtain more specific seasonal δ15N values of soil NH3 volatilization for reliable regional seasonal NH3 source partitioning, we utilized an active dynamic sampling technique to measure the δ15N-NH3 values volatilized from maize cropping land in northeast China. These values varied from -38.0 to -0.2‰, with a significantly lower rate-weighted value observed in the early period (May-June, -30.5 ± 6.7‰) as compared with the late period (July-October, -8.5 ± 4.3‰). Seasonal δ15N-NH3 variations were related to the main NH3 production pathway, degree of soil ammonium consumption, and soil environment. Bayesian isotope mixing model analysis revealed that without considering the seasonal δ15N variation in soil-volatilized NH3 could result in an overestimate by up to absolute 38% for agricultural volatile NH3 to regional atmospheric bulk ammonium deposition during July-October, further demonstrating that it is essential to distinguish seasonal δ15N profile of agricultural volatile NH3 in regional source apportionment.

Precise and comprehensive evaluation of perianal fistulas, classification and related complications using magnetic resonance imaging.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to comprehensively evaluate perianal fistulas and their related complications using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS: We enrolled 115 eligible patients who underwent preoperative perianal MRI. Primary fistulas, internal and external openings, and related complications were evaluated using MRI. All fistulas were classified according to Park's classification, Standard Practice Task Force classification, St. James's grade, and the position of the internal opening. RESULTS: In total, 169 primary fistulas were detected in 115 patients; 73 (63.5%) patients had a single primary tract and 42 (36.5%) patients had multiple primary tracts, and 198 internal and 129 external openings were identified. Based on Park's classification, 150 (88.7%) primary fistulas were classified into the following types: intersphincteric (82, 54.7%), trans-sphincteric (58, 38.6%), suprasphincteric (8, 5.3%), extrasphincteric (1, 0.7%), and diffuse intersphincteric with trans-sphincteric (1, 0.7%) types. Based on St. James's grade, 149 fistulas were classified into grade 1 (52, 34.9%), grade 2 (30, 20.1%), grade 3 (20, 13.4%), grade 4 (38, 25.5%), and grade 5 (9, 6.1%). We detected 92 (54.4%) simple and 77 (45.6%) complex perianal fistulas and 72 (42.6%) high and 97 (57.4%) low perianal fistulas. Furthermore, we detected 32 secondary tracts in 23 (20.0%) patients and 87 abscesses in 60 (52.2%) patients. Levator ani muscle involvement and extensive soft tissue edema were detected in 12 (10.4%) and 24 (20.9%) patients, respectively. CONCLUSION: MRI is a valuable and comprehensive tool that can not only be used to determine the general condition of perianal fistulas but also to classify them and identify related complications.

Efficient Massive MIMO Detection for M-QAM Symbols.

Massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems significantly outperform small-scale MIMO systems in terms of data rate, making them an enabling technology for next-generation wireless systems. However, the increased number of antennas increases the computational difficulty of data detection, necessitating more efficient detection techniques. This paper presents a detector based on joint deregularized and box-constrained dichotomous coordinate descent (BOXDCD) with iterations for rectangular m-ary quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM) symbols. Deregularization maximized the energy of the solution. With the box-constraint, the deregularization forces the solution to be close to the rectangular boundary set. The numerical results demonstrate that the proposed detector achieves a considerable performance gain compared to existing detection algorithms. The performance advantage increases with the system size and signal-to-noise ratio.

Preparation, characteristics and cytotoxicity of green synthesized selenium nanoparticles using Paenibacillus motobuensis LY5201 isolated from the local specialty food of longevity area.

Selenium is an essential micronutrient element. For the extremely biotoxic of selenite, Selenium nanoparticles (SeNPs) is gaining increasing interest. In this work, a selenium-enriched strain with highly selenite-resistant (up to 173 mmol/L) was isolated from the local specialty food of longevity area and identified as Paenibacillus motobuensis (P. motobuensis) LY5201. Most of the SeNPs were accumulated extracellular. SeNPs were around spherical with a diameter of approximately 100 nm. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that the purified SeNPs consisted of selenium and proteins. Our results suggested that P. motobuensis LY5201could be a suitable and robust biocatalyst for SeNPs synthesis. In addition, the cytotoxicity effect and the anti-invasive activity of SeNPs on the HepG2 showed an inhibitory effect on HepG2, indicating that SeNPs could be used as a potential anticancer drug.

An improved accurate classification method for online education resources based on support vector machine (SVM): Algorithm and experiment.

In the face of surging online education around the globe, it seems quite necessary and helpful for learners and teachers to have the plethora of online resources well sorted out beforehand. To some extent, the efficiency and accuracy of resource search and retrieval may determine the quality and influence of online education. In this research, based on the methodological framework of design science, the support vector machine (SVM) algorithm is chosen to optimise the design of an accurate resource classifier. The aim is to improve the unsatisfactory classification effect of traditional classification methods for online education resources, so that online learners can enjoy more accurate and convenient access to education resources they are seeking out of many more. For the purpose of performance evaluation, the proposed SVM-based classifier was compared with two other classification methods based on multiple neutral networks and deep learning respectively. Upon collection and pre-processing of online materials, the features of educational resources were extracted and output in the form of feature vectors. By calculating the similarity between the extracted feature vectors and the standard vectors of the set type, we obtained the classification results of online education resources for each of the three classifiers. It was found that, compared with those of the two traditional classification methods, the precision ratio and the recall ratio of the proposed classifier improved by 3.26% and 2.01% respectively. In the meantime, the proposed SVM-based classifier seems to more advantageous in performance balance with better F measurement.

[Characterization of greenhouse gas emissions and stable isotopic composition of ammonia during industrial composting process]. / å·¥åŽ‚åŒ–å †è‚¥æ¸©å®¤æ°”ä½“æŽ’æ”¾å’Œæ°¨æ°”åŒä½ç´ ç‰¹å¾.

Carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4) and ammonia (NH3) emitted during the composting of livestock and poultry waste are important gaseous atmospheric pollutants. However, most previous studies on compost-related anthropogenic emissions of these gases were based on small reactor composting. Our understanding of their in situ emissions during industrial composting remains extremely limited. In order to explore the influence of gas produced by industrial composting on regional environment, we monitored CO2, CH4, N2O and NH3 emissions during industrial composting for 19 days and characterized the isotopic composition of emitted NH3. On average, the emission rates of CO2, CH4, N2O, and NH3 during the composting cycle were 86.8 g CO2-C·d-1·m-2, 9.8 g CH4-C·d-1·m-2, 3.7 mg N2O-N·d-1·m-2 and 736.6 mg NH3-N·d-1·m-2, respectively. The contribution of CH4 to daily global warming potential (GWP) was the highest (65%), followed by CO2, NH3(indirect), and N2O. Moreover, ammonia emitted from industrial compost had a mean δ15N value of -11.6‰±1.2‰ (range: -21.8‰--7.2‰). Overall, this study provided useful information for understanding greenhouse gas emission dynamics and characterizing atmospheric NH3 sources during composting process in livestock and poultry breeding areas.

[Research progress on soil soluble organic nitrogen]. / åœŸå£¤å¯æº¶æ€§æœ‰æœºæ°®ç ”ç©¶è¿›å±•.

Soluble organic nitrogen (SON) and inorganic N are two crucial nitrogen (N) forms in the cycling of N within terrestrial ecosystems, acting as either a "source" or a "sink" to the environmental N release. The mineralization, retention, leaching, and plant absorption of N in terrestrial ecosystems are closely related to SON. As a result, the role of SON in soil material circulation and nutrient flow has attracted much attention and has become one of the hotspots in various research fields, such as ecology, environmental science, soil science, and hydrology. We reviewed the research progress on soil SON, including the definition and quantification, the size and composition, the absorption and utilization by plants and microorganisms, the sources and influencing factors, and the transformation, migration, and leaching loss of SON. SON is a complex collection of multi-component soluble organic matter, mainly as recalcitrant components (difficult to degrade), with relatively low proportion as labile components (easily degradable). Due to the difference in the turnover time among recalcitrant and labile components, the roles of SON in N cycling and turnover cannot be fully represented by the SON quantity. Therefore, to accurately reflect the role of SON in N turnover, N uptake, and N leaching, it is necessary to establish new methods and distinguish between recalcitrant and labile SON components in future studies. When studying the role of SON in N conversion and N absorption, it is essential to focus on its labile components. When studying the contribution of soil SON to N leaching or runoff loss, it is necessary to focus on the recalcitrant components.

Resonant sheath heating in weakly magnetized capacitively coupled plasmas due to electron-cyclotron motion.

An electron heating mechanism based on a resonance between the cyclotron motion of electrons and the radio frequency sheath oscillations is reported in weakly magnetized capacitively coupled plasmas at low pressure. If half of the electron cyclotron period coincides with the radio frequency period, then electrons will coherently collide with the expanding sheath and gain substantial energy, which enhances the plasma density. A relation between the magnetic field and the driving frequency is found to characterize this resonance effect and the kinetics of electrons are revealed at resonance conditions for various driving frequencies.

[N2O and N2 emission characteristics from maize and greenhouse vegetable soils in Northern China]. / æˆ‘å›½åŒ—æ–¹å‡ ç§çŽ‰ç±³å’Œè®¾æ–½èœåœ°åœŸå£¤çš„N2O和N2排放特征.

To explore N2O and N2 emissions from upland soils after nitrogen fertilizer application, a 60-day aerobic incubation experiment (25 ℃,80% water-filled pore space) using the 15N tracing method was conducted to quantify the N transformation, N2O and N2 emissions from maize soils from four sites (Harbin, Shenyang, Luancheng and Shouguang) and vegetable soils from two sites (Shen-yang and Shouguang), with urea being applied at 167 mg N·kg-1 to simulate the field application rate of 200 kg N·hm-2. The results showed that for the four sites with maize soils, the cumulative emission of N2O was in the order of Shouguang (20 mg N·kg-1) > Luancheng (14 mg N·kg-1) > Shenyang (5 mg N·kg-1) > Harbin (0.5 mg N·kg-1) and the cumulative N2 emission was in the order of Luancheng (176 mg N·kg-1) > Shenyang (106 mg N·kg-1) > Shouguang (75 mg N·kg-1) > Harbin (12 mg N·kg-1). For vegetable soils, the cumulative N2O emission of Shouguang (21 mg N·kg-1) was 10 times of that of Shenyang (2 mg N·kg-1), but without differences in cumulative N2 emissions (28 and 24 mg N·kg-1, respectively). The N2O/(N2O+N2) of the six soils ranged from 5% to 40%. The N2O/(N2O+N2) of the two soils from Shouguang (30%-40%) was significantly higher than other four soils (1%-10%). Soil bulk N pool contributes to 56% of total N2O emission and 61% of total N2 emission, which was higher than the contribution of fertilizer. The cumulative N2O emission was positively correlated with soil background pH, which indicated that soil background pH might be an important factor regulating N2O and N2 emission from upland soils. In the alkaline soil regions of North China Plain (such as Luancheng and Shouguang), mea-sures to reduce soil pH might have great impact on reducing N gaseous emission.

Interannual and seasonal variabilities in soil NO fluxes from a rainfed maize field in the Northeast China.

Nitric oxide (NO) plays a critical role in atmospheric chemistry and also is a precursor of nitrate, which affects particle matter formation and nitrogen deposition. Agricultural soil has been recognized as a main source of atmospheric NO. However, quantifying the NO fluxes emitted from croplands remains a challenge and in situ long-term measurements of NO are still limited. In this study, we used an automated sampling system to measure NO fluxes with a high temporal resolution over two years (April 2017 to March 2019) from a rainfed maize field in the Northeast China. The cumulative annual NO emissions were 8.9 and 2.3 kg N ha-1 in year 1 (April 2017 to March 2018) and year 2 (April 2018 to March 2019), respectively. These interannual differences were largely related to different weather conditions encountered. In year 1, a month-long drought before and after the seeding and fertilizing reduced plant N uptake and dramatically increased soil N concentration. The following moderate rainfalls promoted large amount of NO emissions, which remained high until late September. The NO fluxes in both years showed clearer seasonal patterns, being highest after fertilizer application in summer, and lowest in winter. The seasonal patterns of NO fluxes were mainly controlled by soil available N concentrations and soil temperatures. The contribution of NO fluxes during the spring freeze-thaw in both years was no more than 0.2% of the annual NO budget, indicating that the freeze-thaw effect on agricultural NO emissions was minimal. In addition, with high-resolution monitoring, we found that soil not only act as a NO source but also a sink. Long-term and high-resolution measurements help us better understand the diurnal, seasonal, and annual dynamics of NO emissions, build more accurate models and better estimate global NO budget and develop more effective policy responses to global climate change.

Different quantification approaches for nitrogen use efficiency lead to divergent estimates with varying advantages.

Nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) is a key indicator with which to study nitrogen cycles and inform nitrogen management. However, different quantification approaches may result in substantially divergent NUE values even for the same production system or for the same experimental plot. Based on our investigation of the differences between and connections among the three principal approaches for NUE quantification, we offer recommendations for choosing the appropriate approach and call for long-term observations to assess the impacts of management practices.

The undefined N source might be overestimated by 15 N tracer trials.

Based on data from previous 15 N-tracer trials, Yan et al. (Global Change Biology, 26, 191-199; 2020) accounted the sources of cereal crop nitrogen (N) from fertilizer inputs (from both current and previous seasons) and possible uptake of nonfertilizer N inputs, leaving a significant part of N source undefined. We argue that the undefined N source does not reflect the net change in soil N stock and might be overestimated for three reasons: (a) higher yield in 15 N tracer trials; (b) a low residue return rate is assumed; (c) underestimated contribution by fertilizer inputs from previous seasons due to the lack of long-term trials.

Methane and nitrous oxide emission characteristics of high-yielding rice field.

As representative varieties of the four phases of the super rice breeding project in China, Lianyoupei 9 (LYP9), Y Liangyou 1 (YLY1), Y Liangyou 2 (YLY2), and Y Liangyou 900 (YLY900) achieved higher yield under optimal cultivation techniques. However, the impact of these high-yield rice varieties on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions under high-yield cultivation management practices remains poorly understood. In this study, we conducted field experiments to investigate CH4 and N2O emissions from paddies containing four elite rice varieties, managed with field drying at the ineffective tillering stage and alternate wet/dry irrigation at the grain-filling stage. The plants were fertilised with nitrogen (N) at three different rates. The results showed that CH4 emission was highest at the tillering stage. N2O emission flux was dramatically increased by field drying at the ineffective tillering stage, and with the rate of N application. Rice variety was among the most important factors affecting CH4 emission and global warming potential (GWP). N2O emission was mainly related to N application rate rather than rice variety. YLY2 achieved higher yield than LYP9, YLY1, and YLY900, and lower GHG emission than YLY900. Our results indicate that rice variety should be considered as a key factor to reduce GHG emissions from rice paddies under high-yield cultivation practices. Based on its high yield and low GHG emission at the study site, YLY2 may be an optimal rice variety.