Metabolomics reveals how spinach plants reprogram metabolites to cope with intense stress responses induced by photoaged polystyrene nanoplastics (PSNPs).

While land-based sources have been recognized as significant long-term sinks for micro- and nanoplastics, there is limited knowledge about the uptake, translocation, and phytotoxicity of nanoplastics (NPs) in terrestrial environments, especially aged NPs. In this study, we investigated the impact of aged polystyrene nanoplastics (PSNPs) on the uptake, physiology, and metabolism of spinach. Our findings revealed that both pristine and aged PSNPs can accumulate in the roots and subsequently translocate to the aboveground tissues, thereby influencing numerous key growth indicators in spinach plants. A more pronounced impact was observed in the treatment of aged PSNPs, triggering more significant and extensive changes in metabolite levels. Furthermore, alterations in targeted pathways, specifically aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis, were induced by aged PSNPs, while pristine PSNPs influenced pathways related to sulfur metabolism, biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, and tryptophan metabolism. Additionally, tissue-specific responses were observed at the metabolomics level in both roots and leaves. These results highlight the existence of diverse and tissue-specific metabolic responses in spinach plants exposed to pristine and aged PSNPs, providing insights into the mechanisms of defense and detoxification against NP-induced stress.

Internalization, physiological responses and molecular mechanisms of lettuce to polystyrene microplastics of different sizes: Validation of simulated soilless culture.

Microplastics (MPs) exists widely in the environment, and the resulting pollution of MPs has become a global environmental problem. Plants can absorb MPs through their roots. However, studies on the mechanism of the effect of root exposure to different size MPs on vegetables are limited. Here, we use Polystyrene (PS) MPs with different particle sizes to investigate the internalization, physiological response and molecular mechanism of lettuce to MPs. MPs may accumulate in large amounts in lettuce roots and migrate to the aboveground part through the vascular bundle, while small particle size MPs (SMPs, 100 nm) have stronger translocation ability than large particle size MPs (LMPs, 500 nm). MPs can cause physiological and biochemical responses and transcriptome changes in lettuce. SMPs and LMPs resulted in reduced biomass (38.27 % and 48.22 % reduction in fresh weight); caused oxidative stress (59.33 % and 47.74 % upregulation of SOD activity in roots) and differential gene expression (605 and 907 DEGs). Signal transduction, membrane transport and alteration of synthetic and metabolic pathways may be the main causes of physiological toxicity of lettuce. Our study provides important information for understanding the behavior and fate of MPs in edible vegetables, especially the physiological toxicity of MPs to edible vegetables, in order to assess the potential threat of MPs to food safety and agricultural sustainable development.

The Evolution of the Minimally Invasive Approach and Conventional Median Sternotomy for Coronary Artery Fistula Correction.

BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive cardiac surgery has become a safe and cosmetic alternative to standard median sternotomy. This retrospective study reviews our results and experience with the minimally invasive approach for congenital coronary artery fistula correction, compared with conventional approach. METHODS: From February 2001 to June 2016, 110 patients with isolated coronary artery fistula (CAF) in our centre underwent correction through minimally invasive approach (MIA) (n=65) or standard median sternotomy (SMS) (n=45). Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) was used in 16 patients in the SMS group, and all the other patients underwent the procedure without CPB through a standard median sternotomy or minimally invasive approach. RESULTS: There was no in-hospital mortality and no patients reverted to a median sternotomy in the MIA group. Subxiphoid incision (32 cases) and parasternal incision (28 cases) were the most common approaches used for the procedure. The operative time was 67.82±14.4minutes in MIA group and 107.04±27.91minutes (p=0.0001) in the SMS group. The intubation time was 3.58±2.33hours in the MIA group and 6.1±3.26hours in the SMS group (p=0.0001); the intensive care unit (ICU) stay was 10.04±7.95hours in the MIA group and 19.74±7.81hours in the SMS group (p=0.0001). Three patients (two in MIA Group vs one in SMS Group, p=0.787) were identified with a trivial residual shunt during the procedure, which had disappeared by discharge. CONCLUSIONS: Minimally invasive approach can provide an excellent surgical exposure for CAF ligation in selective patients compared with SMS. It is a safe and cosmetic alternative to conventional treatment and minimised the length of stay.

Minimally invasive approach for coronary artery fistula correction.

Objectives: Minimally invasive cardiac surgery has recently become widespread. The aim of this study is to analyse the feasibility of a minimally invasive approach for coronary artery fistula (CAF) correction. Methods: From February 2001 to June 2014, 49 patients in our centre underwent minimally invasive CAF correction without cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). The mean age was 21.18 ± 11.24 years (range, 5 months to 64 years). Patients with cardiac anomalies who underwent CAF correction and those who underwent CAF via the minimally invasive approach with CPB were excluded. Results: There were no in-hospital mortalities or conversions to median sternotomy. Subxiphoid incisions (22 cases) and parasternal incisions (20 cases) were the most commonly used approaches for the procedure. The operative time was 67.45 ± 22.69 min (30-125 min). The intubation time was 3.72 ± 1.82 h (2-12 h), and the ICU stay was 9.67 ± 5.43 h (4-24 h). A trivial residual shunt was identified in only 1 patient during the procedure; however, this shunt had disappeared by discharge. Conclusions: The minimally invasive approach can provide excellent surgical exposure for CAF ligation in select patients. This approach is a safe and cosmetic alternative to conventional treatment and may minimize the length of stay.

Single cusp replacement in patients with ventricular septal defect and aortic insufficiency.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to analyze the mid- and long-term outcome of single cusp replacement in patients with ventricular septal defect and aortic insufficiency. METHODS: From September 2005 through March 2014, 172 patients underwent single cusp replacement and ventricular septal defect (VSD) closure. The median age was 19.5 years (range, 9 months to 67 years). Additional techniques were used to repair associated anomalies including sinus of Valsalva aneurysm, patent ductus arteriosus, patent foramen ovale, subaortic membrane, and intramural coronary artery. RESULTS: One patient with large left ventricle (preoperative end-diastolic diameter: 9.8 cm) died after the procedure from incurable heart failure. Four patients required a second pump run for residual aortic insufficiency (AI) (two patients, 1.16%) and residual VSD (two patients, 1.16%). Four patients required re-exploration for postoperative bleeding or cardiac tamponade. Mean follow-up was 53.27 ± 25.37 months (median, 56.5 months; range, 3 to 104 months). Redo aortic valve surgery was performed in three patients. Three patients had moderate-severe AI during the following period without reoperation. There was no post-operative endocarditis. CONCLUSION: Single cusp replacement can be safely used in patients with VSD-AI.