The variation of morphological features and mineralogical components of biological soil crusts in the Gurbantunggut Desert of Northwestern China

Increasingly complex life forms were found in older biological soil crusts in the Gurbantaunggut Desert in Northwestern China. These crusts may play a critical role in mineral erosion and desert soil formation by modifying the weathering environment and ultimately affecting mineralogical variance. To test this hypothesis, variations in the morphological features and mineralogical components of successional biological soil crusts at 1 cm were studied by optical microscopy, SEM and grain size analysis. Concentrations of erosion-resistant minerals decreased with crust succession, while minerals susceptible to weathering increased with crust development. Neogenetic minerals were found in late stage crusts, but not in early stage crusts. Silt and clay concentrations were highest in early formation crusts and soil mean particle size decreased with crust succession. Cyanobacteria, lichen and moss were shown to erode and etch rocks, and secondary minerals produced by weathering were localized with the living organisms. Thus, more developed crusts appeared to contribute to greater mineral weathering and may be a major cause of mineralogical variance seen in the Gurbantunggut Desert. The greater activity and complexity of older crusts, as well as their improved moisture condition may function to accelerate mineral weathering. Therefore, protection and recovery of biological crusts is vital for desert soil formation

Microalgal species variation at different successional stages in biological soil crusts of the Gurbantunggut Desert, Northwestern China

Biological soil crusts (BSC), most notably lichen crusts, develop and diversify in the Gurbantunggut Desert, the largest fixed and semi-fixed desert in China. Four different successional stages of BSC, including bare sand, microalgal crusts, lichen crusts, and moss crusts, were selected to determine successional changes in microalgal species composition and biomass and formation of BSC. A 10 x 10-m observation plot was established in an interdune region of the Gurbantunggut Desert and data were collected over an 8-year study period. The main results were: (1) different successional stages of BSC significantly affected the content of soil organic C and total and available N but not the total and available P and K content of soil; (2) composition of microalgal communities differed among the four successional stages; (3) significant differences in microalgal biomass were observed among the four successional stages; (4) bare sand was mainly uncompacted sand gains; (5) filamentous cyanobacteria, particularly Microcoleus vaginatus, were the dominant species in the early phase of crust succession. The presence of fungal mycelium and moss rhizoids prevented water and wind erosion

Hybrid Quantum Neural Network Image Anti-Noise Classification Model Combined with Error Mitigation

In this study, we present an innovative approach to quantum image classification, specifically designed to mitigate the impact of noise interference. Our proposed method integrates key technologies within a hybrid variational quantum neural network architecture, aiming to enhance image classification performance and bolster robustness in noisy environments. We utilize a convolutional autoencoder (CAE) for feature extraction from classical images, capturing essential characteristics. The image information undergoes transformation into a quantum state through amplitude coding, replacing the coding layer of a traditional quantum neural network (QNN). Within the quantum circuit, a variational quantum neural network optimizes model parameters using parameterized quantum gate operations and classical–quantum hybrid training methods. To enhance the system’s resilience to noise, we introduce a quantum autoencoder for error mitigation. Experiments conducted on FashionMNIST datasets demonstrate the efficacy of our classification model, achieving an accuracy of 92%, and it performs well in noisy environments. Comparative analysis with other quantum algorithms reveals superior performance under noise interference, substantiating the effectiveness of our method in addressing noise challenges in image classification tasks. The results highlight the potential advantages of our proposed quantum image classification model over existing alternatives, particularly in noisy environments

A case of trichilemmal cyst

A case of trichilemmal cysts is reported. A 31-year-old man presented with a 5-year history of nodule on his back with enlargement, pain and itching for 1 month. Dermatological examination showed erythema and erythematous plaques scattered on the trunk and extremities, covered with a small amount of silvery white scales. A demarcated exophytic tumor sized 2 cm×3 cm in dark red color was seen on the back, with telangiectasia on the surface. The tumor was slightly soft and tenderness (+) with poor mobility. No erosion or ulceration was observed. Histopathological examination showed a dermal cyst, which wall was composed of stratified squamous cells, and the content of cyst was keratin with focal calcification. The patient was diagnosed with trichilemmal cyst. Complete resection was given. No recurrence was observed over 4 months of follow-up

The research progress on the role of FMRP in the pathogenesis of tumors

Fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) is a selective RNA-binding protein that is highly expressed in neurons and influences cytoskeletal remodeling, cell-cell signal transduction and interactions. Patients with fragile X syndrome display FMRP deficiency and a lower risk of cancers. However, the specific function of FMRP and the underlying mechanisms are not clear. Evidence indicates the involvements of FMRP in multiple processes of malignant development, including tumor cell migration, invasion, apoptosis, proliferation and metastasis. In addition, FMRP is associated with the occurrence, development and prognosis of tumors. In this paper, we review the progress on the role of FMRP in the pathogenesis of tumors, exploring more potential biomarkers of tumors and new therapeutic targets

Significance of CTC and CTEC values in the peripheral blood of subjects with skin tumors

Objective To investigate the clinical utility of identifying circulating tumor cells (CTC) and circulating tumorigenic endothelial cells (CTEC) in skin malignancies. Methods Subtraction enrichment-immunostaining and fluorescence in situ hybridization (SE-iFISH) were used to detect the number of CTC and CTEC in the peripheral blood of 5 patients with skin tumor (tumor group) and 14 healthy individuals (healthy controls), and the detection rate was calculated. The subtype characteristics of CTC/CTEC and the correlation between the number of CTC/CTEC and the clinical characteristics of the patients were analyzed. Results The positive rates of CTC and CTEC in the tumor group were 100%. The average CTC were (6.93±8.18) /mL and CTEC were (1.60±1.03) /mL in the peripheral blood of the tumor group. The positive rates of CTC and CTEC in the healthy controls were both 64%. The average CTC were (0.19±0.21) /mL, and CTEC were (0.30±0.33) /mL in the peripheral blood of the healthy controls. Patients with larger diameter of tumor, lymph node metastasis, and clinical stages of III and IV had higher levels of CTC and CTEC; Large CTC accounted for 88.46% (184/208) of the total tumor cells, while large CTEC accounted for 81.25% (39/48) of the total tumor cells, which mainly were ≥ pentaploid CTC and CTEC. Conclusions Using SE-iFISH, the detection rates of CTC/CTEC are high in patients with skin tumors. The amounts of CTC and CTEC are correlated with the clinical features of patients. A higher proportion of CTC and CTEC is large multiploid cells in peripheral blood of subjects with skin tumors

Expression of FMRP in cutaneous malignant melanoma and its correlation with hematologic ratios

Objective To investigate the expression of fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) in Chinese patients with malignant melanoma and its correlation with hematologic ratios. Methods Lesional skin samples were collected from 23 Chinese with malignant melanoma (melanoma group), and skin samples from 10 normal subjects served as controls (normal skin group). The expression of FMRP was observed using immunohistochemical(IHC) staining, and two scoring methods (H-Score and IRS) were used to evaluate the expression levels. The relationship between FMRP and different pathological grades and stages of malignant melanoma was assessed. The association of FMRP with some hematological ratios, such as neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR) and systemic inflammatory markers (SIM) in patients with malignant melanoma were analyzed. Results The expression levels of FMRP in the melanoma were significantly higher than that in the normal skin (P0.05). Expression levels of FMRP were positively correlated with NLR and SIM, while negatively correlated with LMR. Conclusions FMRP is highly expressed in cutaneous malignant melanoma and its expression levels are significantly correlated with NLR, SIM, and LMR

Estradiol inhibits phosphorylation of JAK/STAT, PI3K/AKT and expression of IL-17A in mouse mononuclear cells treated with IL-36β

Objective To investigate the effects of β-estradiol (E2) on the phosphorylation of JAK/STAT, PI3K/AKT signaling pathways and the expression of IL-17A in mouse spleen mononuclear cells treated with IL-36β. Methods The spleens were isolated from female SPF C57BL/6 mice aged 6-8 weeks. The mononuclear cell suspensions were obtained from spleens by density gradient centrifugation. The suspensions of mononuclear cells were transferred into four petri dishes, with 1.5×107 cells/dish, followed by the treatment with either E2 (10-8 mol/L) or IL-36β (10 ng/mL) or IL-36β+E2, while untreated cells served as normal controls. Western blotting was used to assess the changes in phosphorylation of JAK/STAT and PI3K/AKT proteins 30 min after incubation with IL-36β or E2. Moreover, the mononuclear cells were also treated with IL-36β, E2, JAK inhibitor and PI3K inhibitor, respectively, followed by assessment of IL-17A mRNA levels at 6, 12 and 24 h, meanwhile expression levels of IL-17A protein were measured with Western blot at 24 h. Results IL-36β activated the phosphorylation of JAK3/STAT2 and PI3K/AKT in mouse spleen mononuclear cells, while E2 inhibited such activation induced by IL-36β. Expression levels of IL-17A mRNA differed significantly among four groups of cells at 6, 12 and 24 h (F=25.50, 127.04 and 9.76, respectively, all P<0.01), with the highest expression levels in IL-36β-treated cells. Treatment with IL-36β+E2 lowered expression levels of IL-17A mRNA (P<0.05 vs. IL-36β treatment). Moreover, treatment of cells with IL-36β for 24 h increased IL-17A protein expression, while either JAK or PI3K inhibitor attenuated IL-36β-induced upregulation of IL-17A expression. Conclusions IL-36β upregulates IL-17A expression via activation of JAK3/STAT2 and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways in mouse spleen mononuclear cells. E2 inhibits IL-36β-induced activation of JAK3/STAT2 and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways and down-regulates IL-17A expression