Reduction of the exchangeable cadmium content in soil by appropriately increasing the maturity degree of organic fertilizers.

To enhance the remediation effect of heavy metal pollution, organic fertilizers with different maturity levels were added to cadmium-contaminated soil. The remediation effect was determined by evaluating the form transformation and bioavailability of cadmium in heavy metal-contaminated soil. -Results showed that when the maturity was 50%, although the soil humus (HS) content increased, it didn't contribute to reducing the bioavailability of soil Cd. Appropriately increasing the maturity (GI ≥ 80%), the HS increased by 113.95%∼157.96%, and reduced significantly the bioavailability of soil Cd, among the exchangeable Cd decreased by 16.04%∼33.51% (P < 0.01). The structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that HS content is a critical factor influencing the transformation of Cd forms and the reduction of exchangeable Cd accumulation; the HS and residual Cd content were positively correlated with the maturity (P < 0.01), while exchangeable Cd content was negatively correlated with maturity (P < 0.01), and the correlation increased with increasing maturity. In summary, appropriately increasing the maturity (GI ≥ 80%) can increase significantly HS, promote the transformation of exchangeable Cd into residual Cd, and ultimately enhance the effectiveness of organic fertilizers in the remediation of soil Cd pollution. These results provide a new insight into the remediation of Cd-contaminated soil through organic fertilizer as soil amendment in Cd-contaminated soil.

Activation of NOTCH signaling impedes cell proliferation and survival in acute megakaryoblastic leukemia.

The genetic lesions that drive acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (AMKL) have not been fully elucidated. To search for genetic alterations in AMKL, we performed targeted deep sequencing in 34 AMKL patient samples and 8 AMKL cell lines and detected frequent genetic mutations in the NOTCH pathway in addition to previously reported alterations in GATA-1 and the JAK-STAT pathway. Pharmacological and genetic NOTCH activation, but not inhibition, significantly suppressed AMKL cell proliferation in both in vitro and in vivo assays employing a patient-derived xenograft model. These results suggest that NOTCH inactivation underlies AMKL leukemogenesis. and NOTCH activation holds the potential for therapeutic application in AMKL.

Porta hepatis lymph nodes on US: not only identify biliary atresia but also predict outcomes after Kasai portoenterostomy surgery.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the usefulness of porta hepatis lymph nodes (PHLNs) on ultrasonography (US) scans in diagnosing biliary atresia (BA) and predicting the outcomes after Kasai portoenterostomy (KPE) surgery. METHODS: A total of 668 patients from one hospital were enrolled in the study (542 non-BA and 126 BA). The independent and combined diagnostic efficacy of PHLNs, triangular cord (TC) thickness, and gallbladder morphology were assessed by drawing the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and counting the area under the ROC curve (AUC), sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV). The US features, histopathological findings of PHLNs, and serum total bilirubin (TBIL) levels 3 months post-KPE were correlated. RESULTS: The AUC, sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV of PHLNs with hyperechogenicity and a maximum length larger than 8.4 mm were 0.898, 81.8%, 97.8%, 89.6%, and 95.8%, respectively. The combination of PHLNs, TC thickness, and gallbladder morphology achieved the best overall diagnostic efficacy among all indicators with an AUC of 0.927 and a sensitivity of 99.2%. The germinal center number and bile particle number of PHLNs were positively correlated with pathological size and US echogenicity intensity of PHLNs, respectively (r = 0.591, 0.377, p = 0.001, 0.004). The pathological size of PHLNs in BA patients was negatively correlated with jaundice clearance status 3 months after KPE surgery (r = -0.385, p = 0.047). CONCLUSION: PHLNs with hyperechogenicity and a maximum length > 8.4 mm are useful US indicators for BA diagnosis. Additionally, the enlargement of PHLNs might play a role in predicting outcomes of KPE surgery. CRITICAL RELEVANCE STATEMENT: The article proposed for the first time that PHLNs with hyperechogenicity and a maximum length > 8.4 mm are a useful US indicator for diagnosing BA. KEY POINTS: PHLNs may be helpful in diagnosing BA and predicting outcomes after surgery. Enlarged hyperechoic PHLNs are a useful diagnostic indicator for BA, and play a role in predicting surgical outcomes. These findings can assist clinicians in more accurately diagnosing BA, enabling more timely treatments.

[Treatment of ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency in a child with glyceryl phenylbutyrate]. / è‹¯ä¸é ¸ç”˜æ²¹é ¯æ²»ç–—å„¿ç«¥é¸Ÿæ°¨é ¸æ°¨ç”²é °åŸºè½¬ç§»é ¶ç¼ºä¹ç—‡1例.

Glyceryl phenylbutyrate (GPB) serves as a long-term management medication for Ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency (OTCD), effectively controlling hyperammonemia, but there is a lack of experience in using this medicine in China. This article retrospectively analyzes the case of a child diagnosed with OTCD at Shanghai Children's Medical Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, including a review of related literature. After diagnosis, the patient was treated with GPB, followed by efficacy follow-up and pharmacological monitoring. The 6-year and 6-month-old male patient exhibited poor speech development, disobedience, temper tantrums, and aggressive behavior. Blood ammonia levels peaked at 327 µmol/L; urine organic acid analysis indicated elevated uracil levels; cranial MRI showed extensive abnormal signals in both cerebral hemispheres. Genetic testing revealed de novo mutation in the OTC gene (c.241T>C, p.S81P). Blood ammonia levels were approximately 43, 80, and 56 µmol/L at 1, 2, and 3 months after starting GPB treatment, respectively. During treatment, blood ammonia was well-controlled without drug-related adverse effects. The patient showed improvement in developmental delays, obedience, temperament, and absence of aggressive behavior.

A multimodal atlas of hepatocellular carcinoma reveals convergent evolutionary paths and 'bad apple' effect on clinical trajectory.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly fatal cancer characterized by high intra-tumor heterogeneity (ITH). A panoramic understanding of its tumor evolution, in relation to its clinical trajectory, may provide novel prognostic and treatment strategies. METHODS: Through the Asia-Pacific Hepatocellular Carcinoma trials group (NCT03267641), we recruited one of the largest prospective cohorts of patients with HCC, with over 600 whole genome and transcriptome samples from 123 treatment-naïve patients. RESULTS: Using a multi-region sampling approach, we revealed seven convergent genetic evolutionary paths governed by the early driver mutations, late copy number variations and viral integrations, which stratify patient clinical trajectories after surgical resection. Furthermore, such evolutionary paths shaped the molecular profiles, leading to distinct transcriptomic subtypes. Most significantly, although we found the coexistence of multiple transcriptomic subtypes within certain tumors, patient prognosis was best predicted by the most aggressive cell fraction of the tumor, rather than by overall degree of transcriptomic ITH level - a phenomenon we termed the 'bad apple' effect. Finally, we found that characteristics throughout early and late tumor evolution provide significant and complementary prognostic power in predicting patient survival. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our study generated a comprehensive landscape of evolutionary history for HCC and provides a rich multi-omics resource for understanding tumor heterogeneity and clinical trajectories. IMPACT AND IMPLICATIONS: This prospective study, utilizing comprehensive multi-sector, multi-omics sequencing and clinical data from surgically resected hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), reveals critical insights into the role of tumor evolution and intra-tumor heterogeneity (ITH) in determining the prognosis of HCC. These findings are invaluable for oncology researchers and clinicians, as they underscore the influence of distinct evolutionary paths and the 'bad apple' effect, where the most aggressive tumor fraction dictates disease progression. These insights not only enhance prognostic accuracy post-surgical resection but also pave the way for personalized treatment strategies tailored to specific tumor evolutionary and transcriptomic profiles. The coexistence of multiple subtypes within the same tumor prompts a re-appraisal of the utilities of depending on single samples to represent the entire tumor and suggests the need for clinical molecular imaging. This research thus marks a significant step forward in the clinical understanding and management of HCC, underscoring the importance of integrating tumor evolutionary dynamics and multi-omics biomarkers into therapeutic decision-making. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: NCT03267641 (Observational cohort).

Multilocular thymic cysts can be easily misdiagnosed as malignant tumor on computer tomography: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Multilocular thymic cyst (MTC) is a rare mediastinal lesion which is considered to occur in the process of acquired inflammation. It is usually characterized by well-defined cystic density and is filled with transparent liquid. CASE SUMMARY: We report on a 39-year-old male with a cystic-solid mass in the anterior mediastinum. Computer tomography (CT) imaging showed that the mass was irregular with unclear boundaries. After injection of contrast agent, there was a slight enhancement of stripes and nodules. According to CT findings, it was diagnosed as thymic cancer. CONCLUSION: After surgery, MTC accompanied by bleeding and infection was confirmed by pathological examination. The main lesson of this case was that malignant thymic tumor and MTC of the anterior mediastinum sometimes exhibit similar CT findings. Caution is necessary in clinical work to avoid misdiagnosis.

Prenatal diagnosis and clinical management of cardiac rhabdomyoma: a single-center study.

Objective: The study aims to assess the ultrasonic features of fetal cardiac rhabdomyoma (CR), track the perinatal outcome and postnatal disease progression, investigate the clinical utility of ultrasound, MRI and tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) gene analysis in CR evaluation, and offer evidence for determing of fetal CR prognosis. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of prenatal ultrasound-diagnosed fetal CR cases in our hospital from June 2011 to June 2022, tracked the perinatal outcomes, regularly followed live infants to analyze cardiac lesion changes and disease progression, and compared the sensitivities of ultrasound, MRI and their combination in the detecting of intracranial sclerosing nodules. Results: Our study included 54 fetuses with CR: 32 pregnancies were terminated, 22 were delivered, 35 were diagnosed with TSC, 13 had simple CR without TSC, and in 6 cases, remained unclear whether TSC accompanied the CR due to insufficient evidence. 45 fetuses (83.3%) had multiple lesions, while 9 fetuses (16.7%) presented with a single lesion. Twelve cases had intracardiac complications, all associated with multiple lesions, and these cases exhibited larger maximum tumor diameters than the non-complicated group. Multiple intracardiac lesions were more prevalent in the TSC group than in the simple CR group. However, there was no significant difference in maximum tumor diameter between the two groups. Among 30 fetuses who underwent fetal brain MRI, 23 were eventually diagnosed with TSC, with 11 fetuses showing intracranial sclerosis nodules by ultrasound and 15 by MRI, and the diagnostic consistency was moderate (k = 0.60). Twenty-two fetuses were born and followed up for 6-36 months. CR lesions diminished or disappeared in 18 infants (81.8%), while they remained unchanged in 4 infants (18.2%). Ten out of 12 (83.3%) surviving children diagnosed with TSC developed epilepsy, and 7 (58.3%) had neurodevelopmental dysfunction. Conclusions: The majority of CR cases involve multiple lesions, which are a primary risk factor for TSC. Through prenatal ultrasound examination is crucial for assessing fetal CR prognosis. Although ultrasound combined with MRI can detect intracranial sclerosis nodules in TSC fetuses, its sensitivity is limited. TSC gene sequencing is an essential diagnostic method. Simple CR cases without TSC generally have a favorable prognosis.

Prenatal transposition of great arteries diagnosis and management: a Chinese single-center study.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the diagnostic value of prenatal echocardiography for identifying transposition of the great arteries (TGA) during pregnancy and evaluating the associated outcomes. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of 121 prenatally diagnosed patients with TGA at our hospital between January 2012 and September 2022. This analysis included prenatal ultrasound, prenatal screening, clinical management and follow-up procedures. Results: Among the 103 fetuses considered in the study, 90 (87.4%) were diagnosed with complete transposition of the great arteries (D-TGA), while 13 (12.6%) exhibited corrected transposition of the great arteries (CC-TGA). Diagnoses were distributed across the trimester, with 8 D-TGA and 2 CC-TGA patients identified in the first trimester, 68 D-TGA patients and 9 CC-TGA patients in the second trimester, and 14 D-TGA and 2 CC-TGA patients referred for diagnosis in the third trimester. Induction of labour was pursued for 76 D-TGA patients (84.4%) and 11 CC-TGA patients (84.6%), and 14 D-TGA patients (15.6%) and 2 CC-TGA patients (15.4%) continued pregnancy until delivery. Among the D-TGA patients, 9 fetuses (10.0%) underwent surgery, two of which were inadvertent fatality, while the remaining seven experienced positive outcomes. Additionally, seven TGA patients received palliative care, leading to four fatalities among D-TGA patients (5.2%), whereas 1 D-TGA patients and 2 CC-TGA patients survived. Conclusion: This study underscores the feasibility of achieving an accurate prenatal diagnosis of TGA during early pregnancy. The utility of prenatal ultrasound in the development of personalized perinatal plans and the application of multidisciplinary treatment during delivery are conducive.

A Pre-Leukemic DNA Methylation Signature in Healthy Individuals at Higher Risk for Developing Myeloid Malignancy.

PURPOSE: DNA methylation alterations are widespread in acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), some of which appear to have evolved independently of somatic mutations in epigenetic regulators. Although the presence of somatic mutations in peripheral blood can predict the risk of development of AML and MDS, its accuracy remains unsatisfactory. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We performed global DNA methylation profiling in a case control study nested within the Singapore Chinese Health Study to evaluate whether DNA methylation alterations were associated with AML/MDS development. Targeted deep sequencing and methylated DNA immunoprecipitation sequencing (MeDIP-seq) were performed on peripheral blood collected a median of 9.9 years before diagnosis of AML or MDS, together with age-matched still-healthy individuals as controls. RESULTS: Sixty-six individuals who developed AML or MDS displayed significant DNA methylation changes in the peripheral blood compared with 167 age- and gender-matched controls who did not develop AML/MDS during the follow-up period. Alterations in methylation in the differentially methylation regions were associated with increased odds of developing AML/MDS. CONCLUSIONS: The epigenetic changes may be acquired independently and before somatic mutations that are relevant for AML/MDS development. The association between methylation changes and the risk of pre-AML/MDS in these individuals was considerably stronger than somatic mutations, suggesting that methylation changes could be used as biomarkers for pre-AML/MDS screening.

Astragaloside IV targeting autophagy of T cells improves inflammation of asthma.

Astragaloside IV (AST) has been confirmed to have antiasthmatic effects. However, the underline mechanism is unclear. The study aimed to explore the treatment mechanism of AST based on autophagy of memory T cells. AST treatment significantly decreased the number of T effector cells in asthma mice blood and the nude mice that received AST-treated TCMs had relieved inflammation compared with the untreated group; meanwhile, we found that AST significantly decreased the autophagy level and inhibited OX40/OX40L signal pathway of lymphocytes. The results highlighted that AST regulated autophagy to inhibit differentiation of effector T-cell phenotype.

Stytontriterpenes A-C, three unusual oleanane-derived triterpenoids from the resin of Styrax tonkinensis as potential immunosuppressive agents in atherosclerosis.

Three unusual oleanane-derived triterpenoids, stytontriterpenes A-C (1-3), were isolated from the resin of Styrax tonkinensis together with an oleanane-lactone (stytontriterpene D, 4). Their structures and absolute configurations were characterised using a combination of spectroscopic analysis, electronic circular dichroism, and theoretical calculations. 1 and 2 belong to nor-oleanane with rare spiro D/E rings and 3 contains one infrequent C32 scaffold. 1 considerably suppressed the number of adhered leukemic monocytes (THP-1) to human umbilical vein endothelial cells and attenuated the upregulations of mRNA and protein levels of intracellular adhesion molecule-1 and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 at 5 µM, suggesting that 1 might be a promising anti-vascular inflammatory chemical for atherosclerosis therapy. Plausible biosynthetic pathways for 1-4 are also proposed.

MicroRNA Landscape in Endometrial Carcinomas in an Asian population: Unraveling Subtype-Specific Signatures.

MicroRNAs (MiRNAs) are small, non-coding RNA molecules that function in RNA silencing and post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression. We analyzed the differential expression of miRNAs in 119 endometrial carcinomas, measuring their expression in histological subtypes, molecular subtypes, and tumors with CTNNB1 mutations. Tumors were subdivided into histological and molecular subtypes as defined by The Cancer Genome Atlas. The expression levels of 352 miRNAs were quantified using the PanoramiR panel. Mir-449a, mir-449b-5p, and mir-449c-5p were the top three miRNAs showing increased expression in both endometrioid and de-differentiated carcinomas but were not significantly increased in serous and clear cell carcinomas. The miRNAs with the most increased expression in serous and clear cell carcinomas were miR-9-3p and miR-375, respectively. We also identified 62 differentially expressed miRNAs among different molecular subtypes. Using sequential forward selection, we built subtype classification models for some molecular subtypes of endometrial carcinoma, comprising 5 miRNAs for MMR-deficient tumors, 10 miRNAs for p53-mutated tumors, and 3 miRNAs for CTNNB1-mutated tumors, with areas under curves of 0.75, 0.85, and 0.78, respectively. Our findings confirm the differential expression of miRNAs between various endometrial carcinoma subtypes and may have implications for the development of diagnostic and prognostic tools.

EDNRA-Expressing Mesenchymal Cells Are Expanded in Myeloma Interstitial Bone Marrow and Associated with Disease Progression.

Multiple myeloma (MM) induces dysfunctional bone marrow (BM) mesenchymal cells and neoangiogenesis. Pericytes and smooth muscle cells (SMCs) could detach from vessels and become cancer-associated fibroblasts. We found that the pericyte and SMC marker endothelin receptor type A (EDNRA) is overexpressed in whole MM bone biopsies; we sought to characterize its expression. EDNRA expression gradually increased with disease progression. High-risk MM patients had higher EDNRA expression than low-risk MM patients and EDNRA expression was highest in focal lesions. High EDNRA expression was associated with high expression of pericyte markers (e.g., RGS5, POSTN, and CD146) and the angiogenic marker FLT1. A single-cell analysis of unexpanded BM mesenchymal cells detected EDNRA expression in a subset of cells that coexpressed mesenchymal cell markers and had higher expression of proliferation genes. Immunohistochemistry revealed that the number of EDNRA+ cells in the interstitial BM increased as MM progressed; EDNRA+ cells were prevalent in areas near the MM focal growth. EDNRA+ cells were detached from CD34+ angiogenic cells and coexpressed RGS5 and periostin. Therefore, they likely originated from pericytes or SMCs. These findings identify a novel microenvironmental biomarker in MM and suggest that the presence of detached EDNRA+ cells indicates disrupted vasculature and increased angiogenesis.

Four-section approach of fetal congenital heart disease at 11-13+6 weeks.

Objective: The objective of the study is to explore the value of the four-section approach in detecting fetal heart defects in the first trimester (11-13+6 weeks), analyze the reasons for the inconsistency between the results of ultrasound examination in the first trimester and subsequent verification, and describe the most common abnormal flow patterns of four sections. Materials and methods: Between June 2019 and June 2021, a prenatal four-section approach (upper abdominal transverse section, four-chamber section, three vessel-trachea section, and bilateral subclavian artery section) with verification results in early pregnancy was analyzed. Results: In total, 9,533 fetuses were included. Finally, 176 fetuses with congenital heart disease (CHD), containing 34 types, were identified. The total detection rate of cardiac abnormalities was 1.85%. 102 cases were accurately diagnosed by ultrasonography during early pregnancy. A total of 74 fetuses who had inconsistent results between fetal cardiac ultrasound and verification in early pregnancy were reported, of which the cases of 22 fetuses were inconsistent due to disease evolution and progression and the cases of 52 fetuses were inconsistent due to missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the four-section approach were 67.05%, 99.96%, 96.58%, and 99.33%, respectively. In this study, a total of 30 abnormal ultrasonic imaging patterns in four sections were summarized. Conclusion: We confirmed that the four-section approach in early pregnancy has a good diagnostic efficacy for fetal CHD. Intrauterine evolution of the fetal heart, missed diagnosis, and misdiagnosis are the reasons for the inconsistency between the results of early pregnancy ultrasound and subsequent verification. This study also presents the abnormal imaging patterns of four scan sections of CHD in early pregnancy, which are instructive for the rapid identification and diagnosis of CHD in the first trimester.

Thoracoscopic esophagectomy for thoracic esophageal cancer with right aortic arch and Kommerell diverticulum: a case report and literature review.

Background: Esophageal carcinoma accompanied by a right aortic arch (RAA) is very rare. When combined with Kommerell diverticulum (KD), a right aortic arch forms a vascular ring encircling both the esophagus and trachea. Due to abnormal anatomy of the upper mediastinum, it is very difficult to dissociate the esophagus and its surrounding tissues, especially the left recurrent laryngeal nerve. Herein, we report a case of successful thoracoscopic esophagectomy in an esophageal cancer patient concurrent with a RAA and KD. Case presentation: A 62-year-old male patient was diagnosed with esophageal squamous carcinoma in the middle esophagus at clinical stage I (cT1N0M0) according to UICC-TNM classification 8th edition. Further examinations revealed RAA and KD. Based on the three-dimensional CT (3D-CT) reconstruction, a Mckeown esophagectomy via a left thoracoscopic approach in semi-prone position was performed. During the operation, the left recurrent laryngeal nerve was accurately exposed and well protected. Postoperatively, severe complications, including anastomotic leakage and recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy, were not observed. The patient was discharged 12 days after the surgery. Conclusion: Preoperative 3D-CT reconstruction is useful to clarify the vascular malformation in esophageal cancer patients with RAA, and helpful to formulate a reasonable surgical approach.

Characterization of ultrasound and postnatal pathology in fetuses with heterotaxy syndrome.

Background: To explore the diagnostic clues and abnormality spectrum of heterotaxy syndrome by prenatal ultrasonography and postnatal verification. Methods: The prenatal ultrasonic data of 88 heterotaxy syndrome fetuses were analyzed retrospectively as left isomerism (LI) and right isomerism (RI). Prenatal ultrasound compared with the anatomical casting of the fetal body after labor induction, and the confirmatory postnatal diagnosis after delivery. Results: Fetal LI showed typical malformations of gastric vesicles on different sides from the heart, absence of hepatic segment of the inferior vena cava (IVC), abdominal aorta (AO) parallel with the azygos vein (AV), bilateral left bronchus, bilateral left atrial appendages, and polysplenia; intracardiac malformations of AV septal defects (AVSD), single atrium (SA), left ventricular outflow tract obstruction (LVOTO), and double-outlet right ventricle (DORV); and cardiac conduction abnormalities of sinus bradycardia and AV blockage. Fetal RI reported typical malformations of gastric vesicles on different sides from the heart, juxtaposition of the IVC with AO, anomalous pulmonary venous connection (APVC), asplenia, and bilateral right atrial appendages; intracardiac malformations of AVSD, SA, single ventricle, pulmonary atresia and stenosis, and DORV. The postnatal verification revealed 3 malformations misdiagnoses and 4 malformations missed diagnoses in LI fetuses and 10 misdiagnoses and 8 missed diagnoses in RI fetuses. Conclusions: The proposed five-step prenatal ultrasonography has an important diagnostic value for the identification and classification of heterotaxy syndrome. The different sides of gastric vesicles and cardiac apex are important diagnostic clues for heterotaxy syndrome, featuring disconnected or hypoplastic IVC, typical complex cardiac malformation, and atrioventricular block in fetal LI, and shown APVC, juxtaposition of IVC and AO, and intracardiac malformations such as AVSD, DORV, and LVOTO in fetal RI.

Anomalous origin of the fetal pulmonary artery.

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the efficacy of prenatal ultrasonography in diagnosing the anomalous origin of the fetal pulmonary artery (AOFPA). Methods: A total of 26 AOFPA cases were retrospectively analyzed from January 2014 to January 2023. The features of the AOFPA were characterized by comparing the prenatal ultrasonic data with the results of anatomical casting after pregnancy termination or postnatal imaging and surgical intervention. Missed diagnoses and misdiagnoses were expounded. Results: Of the 26 AOFPA cases, there were 13 cases of pulmonary artery sling, 8 cases of anomalous origin of the unilateral pulmonary artery, and five cases of unilateral absence of the pulmonary artery; 17 cases received pathological anatomy and casting after pregnancy termination, and nine cases were confirmed by postnatal imaging and surgery. Nineteen cases were accurately prenatally diagnosed (19/26, 73.1%), and seven cases were missed or misdiagnosed (7/26, 26.9%). Conclusions: Prenatal ultrasonography has a favorable diagnostic efficacy for anomalous origin of the fetal pulmonary artery. The absence of either the left or right pulmonary artery from the image of pulmonary artery bifurcation may indicate origin abnormalities of the pulmonary artery in fetuses, which signifies the necessity to detect the abnormal origin of the pulmonary artery on the affected side and other potential intracardiac malformation complications.

Growth and dormancy control of myeloma cells by mesenchymal stem cells.

Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) may have contrasting impacts on the progression of multiple myeloma (MM). Priming normal MSCs, by culturing them with MM cells, mimics the MSC-induced MM growth. We studied the contrasting effects of conditioned medium (CM) from unprimed or primed MSCs on growth of MM cells from newly diagnosed cases. We elucidated potential molecular pathways using global gene expression profiling and focused on the role of the mTOR2 component, RICTOR, as a novel mediator of dormancy in MM. Primed MSCs CM consistently increased proportions of proliferating cells and supported MM growth in 3-day (n = 20) and 10-day (n = 12) cultures, effects that were partially mediated through the IGF1 axis. In contrast, unprimed MSCs CM inhibited growth of MM cells in cases mainly from stages I/II MM. The genes most overexpressed in MM cells treated with primed MSCs CM were associated with cell cycle, DNA-damage repair, and proliferation; genes most overexpressed in MM cells treated with unprimed MSCs CM were associated with dormancy pathways including RICTOR (mTOR2 pathway), CXCR4, and BCL2. RICTOR protein level was induced by unprimed MSCs CM and was lower in KI67+ proliferating MM cells treated with primed MSCs CM. RICTOR was underexpressed in clinical relapse samples compared with baseline samples of the same patients. Inhibiting RICTOR expression in primary MM cells promoted their growth, and enforced expression of RICTOR in MM cell lines inhibited their growth. Our findings suggest that, after prolonged interactions with MM cells, bone marrow MSCs shift from MM-repressive to MM-permissive. AVAILABILITY OF DATA AND MATERIALS: Our institutional GEP data of MM cells from newly diagnosed patients used to show RICTOR expression have been deposited at Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO: GSE2658, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/geo/query/acc.cgi?acc=GSE2658).

[Pollution Characteristics and Risk Assessment of Antibiotics in Beiyun River Basin in Beijing].

To investigate the pollution characteristics and risk levels of antibiotics in water of the Beiyun River Basin in Beijing, the concentration of antibiotics was analyzed by using the solid-phase extraction and high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (SPE-HPLC-MS/MS) method. The results showed that seven types of four categories of antibiotics were detected in the samples from 12 sampling points; the total concentration of antibiotics including sulfapyridine, clarithromycin, azithromycin, roxithromycin, erythromycin, ofloxacin, and lincomycin ranged from 59.19 to 703.44 ng·L-1. Among these antibiotics, the detection rate of clarithromycin, azithromycin, roxithromycin, ofloxacin, and lincomycin was 100%; that of erythromycin was 41.67%; and that of sulfapyridine was 33.33%. Compared with that in some rivers in China, the Azithromycin, Erythromycin, and Clarithromycin in the Beiyun River Basin were at a relatively high level. The ecological risk assessment results showed that the most sensitive species was algae. The health risk quotients indicated that sulfapyridine, lincomycin, roxithromycin, azithromycin, and erythromycin presented no risk for every age group, whereas the health risk of clarithromycin was at a low level.

Effects of Melatonin Supplementation on Lipid Metabolism and Body Fat Accumulation in Ovariectomized Rats.

Postmenopausal obesity is a rising problem. Melatonin (Mel) is a hormone secreted by the pineal gland that regulates the circadian rhythms and improves obesity. In this experiment, ovariectomized (OVX) rats were used as a menopause model to explore the effects of Mel supplementation on lipid metabolism, body fat accumulation, and obesity. Nine-week-old female rats underwent an OVX surgery and were assigned to the following groups: control group (C), low-dose group (L, 10 mg/kg body weight (BW) Mel), medium-dose group (M, 20 mg/kg BW Mel), and high-dose group (H, 50 mg/kg BW Mel), administered by gavage for 8 weeks. The results showed that the OVX rats supplemented with low, medium, and high doses of Mel for 8 weeks exhibited reduced BW gain, perirenal fat mass, and gonads fat mass, and an increased serum irisin level. Low and high doses of Mel induced brite/beige adipocytes in the white adipose tissues. In addition, the messenger RNA levels of the fatty acid synthesis enzymes were significantly reduced after the high-dose Mel supplementation. Thus, Mel can reduce the hepatic fatty acid synthesis and promote the browning of white adipose tissues through irisin; thereby, improving obesity and body fat accumulation in OVX rats.