Antitumor Effect of Zhihuang Fuzheng Soft Capsules on Tumor-Bearing Mice

Chinese medicines (CMs) have been shown to have some advantages in preventing and controlling tumors. In this study, we investigated the antitumor effect of ZFSC by establishing a mouse model of HT-1080, A-549, and HCT-8 tumors. The result showed that tumor volumes of HT-1080 tumor-bearing nude mice in ZFSC low, medium, and high dose groups were lower significantly compared to the model group, and the high dose ZFSC showed the best antitumor effect. Tumor volumes of A-549 tumor-bearing nude mice in ZFSC low, medium, and high dose groups were lower significantly compared to the model group and showed a good dose-response relationship. There was no significant effect on human colon cancer, although inhibition trends disappeared in the bar chart. In order to verify the immunomodulatory effect of ZFSC, ELISA was used to analyze serums IL-2, TNF-α, and IFN in spleens. The results showed that ZFSC could enhance the immune function of tumor-bearing mice. ZFSC reduced IFN-γ and TNF-α content in the serum of HT-1080 tumor-bearing mice and inhibit PD1 and PDL1 and suggested that the antitumor mechanism of ZFSC on human fibrosarcoma could be attributed to inhibition of the PDL1/PD1 pathway

Multi-parametric MRI-based peritumoral radiomics on prediction of lymph-vascular space invasion in early-stage cervical cancer

PURPOSEThis retrospective study aims to evaluate the use of multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in predicting lymph-vascular space invasion (LVSI) in early-stage cervical cancer using radiomics methods.METHODSA total of 163 patients who underwent contrast-enhanced T1-weighted (CE T1W) and T2-weighted (T2W) MRI scans at 3.0T were enrolled between January 2014 and September 2019. Radiomics features were extracted and selected from the tumoral and peritumoral regions at different dilation distances outside the tumor. Mann–Whitney U test, the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator logistic regression, and logistic regression was applied to select the predictive features and develop the radiomics signature. Univariate analysis was performed on the clinical characteristics. The radiomics nomogram was constructed incorporating the radiomics signature and the selected important clinical predictor. Prediction performance of the radiomics signature, clinical model, and nomogram was evaluated with the area under the curve (AUC), specificity, sensitivity, calibration, and decision curve analysis (DCA).RESULTSA total of 5 features that were selected from the peritumoral regions with 3- and 7-mm dilation distances outside tumors in CE T1W and T2W MRI, respectively, showed optimal discriminative performance. The radiomics signature comprising the selected features was significantly associated with the LVSI status. The radiomics nomogram integrating the radiomics signature and degree of cellular differentiation exhibited the best predictability with AUCs of 0.771 (specificity (SPE)=0.831 and sensitivity (SEN)=0.581) in the training cohort and 0.788 (SPE=0.727, SEN=0.773) in the validation cohort. DCA confirmed the clinical usefulness of our model.CONCLUSIONOur results illustrate that the radiomics nomogram based on MRI features from peritumoral regions and the degree of cellular differentiation can be used as a noninvasive tool for predicting LVSI in cervical cancer

A review of relative pollen productivity estimates from temperate china for pollen-based quantitative reconstruction of past plant cover

Model-based quantitative reconstruction of past plant cover in Europe has shown great potential for: (i) testing hypotheses related to Holocene vegetation dynamics, biodiversity, and their relationships with climate and land use; (ii) studying long term interactions between climate and land use. Similar model-based quantitative reconstruction of plant cover in China has been restricted due to the lack of standardized datasets of existing estimates of relative pollen productivity (RPP). This study presents the first synthesis of all RPP values available to date for 39 major plant taxa from temperate China and proposes standardized RPP datasets that can be used for model-based quantitative reconstructions of past plant cover using fossil pollen records for the region. We review 11 RPP studies in temperate China based on modern pollen and related vegetation data around the pollen samples. The study areas include meadow, steppe and desert vegetation, various woodland types, and cultural landscapes. We evaluate the strategies of each study in terms of selection of study areas and distribution of study sites; pollen- and vegetation-data collection in field; vegetation-data collection from satellite images and vegetation maps; and data analysis. We compare all available RPP estimates, select values based on precise rules and calculate mean RPP estimates. We propose two standardized RPP datasets for 31 (Alt1) and 29 (Alt2) plant taxa. The ranking of mean RPPs (Alt-2) relative to Poaceae (= 1) for eight major taxa is: Artemisia (21) > Pinus (18.4) > Betula (12.5) > Castanea (11.5) > Elaeagnaceae (8.8) > Juglans (7.5) > Compositae (4.5) > Amaranthaceae/Chenopodiaceae (4). We conclude that although RPPs are comparable between Europe and China for some genera and families, they can differ very significantly, e.g., Artemisia, Compositae, and Amaranthaceae/Chenopodiaceae. For some taxa, we present the first RPP estimates e.g. Castanea, Elaeagnaceae, and Juglans. The proposed standardized RPP datasets are essential for model-based reconstructions of past plant cover using fossil pollen records from temperate China

Single cell atlas for 11 non-model mammals, reptiles and birds.

The availability of viral entry factors is a prerequisite for the cross-species transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Large-scale single-cell screening of animal cells could reveal the expression patterns of viral entry genes in different hosts. However, such exploration for SARS-CoV-2 remains limited. Here, we perform single-nucleus RNA sequencing for 11 non-model species, including pets (cat, dog, hamster, and lizard), livestock (goat and rabbit), poultry (duck and pigeon), and wildlife (pangolin, tiger, and deer), and investigated the co-expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2. Furthermore, cross-species analysis of the lung cell atlas of the studied mammals, reptiles, and birds reveals core developmental programs, critical connectomes, and conserved regulatory circuits among these evolutionarily distant species. Overall, our work provides a compendium of gene expression profiles for non-model animals, which could be employed to identify potential SARS-CoV-2 target cells and putative zoonotic reservoirs

Design And Implementation Of Intelligent Fog Guidance System

The fog-prone areas of expressway are mainly affected by special geographical environment, most of which occur in mountainous and hilly areas, lake depressions, remote suburbs and other places. The intelligent fog zone guidance system can automatically change the working mode according to the visibility of the environment. In addition, it can also communicate with the Information Board on the spot and announce the road condition ahead of time, so that vehicles can be reminded and guided at the front end of the road where the fog occurs and at the road where the fog occurs, which makes up for the deficiency of the traditional method

Identifying Risk Factors for Complications in Gynecologic Laparoscopic Surgery: A Retrospective Study

Background: This study aimed to investigate the risk factors associated with complications following gynecologic laparoscopic surgery. Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on patients who underwent gynecologic laparoscopic surgery at Huazhong University of Science and Technology Union Shenzhen Hospital between January 2005 and October 2021. The study population was divided into four groups based on the type of surgery: adnexal surgery, myomectomy/other uterine lesions, laparoscopically assisted vaginal hysterectomy (LAVH)/total laparoscopic hysterectomy (TLH), and surgery for malignancy. The rates of major and minor complications were compared and factors influencing the occurrence of complications were analyzed. Results: A total of 15,308 patients were included in this study. The rates of major and minor complications were 0.51% (78/15,308) and 4.64% (711/15,308), respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that older age (31–60 years-old vs. 18–30 years-old: adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 2.88, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.89–7.88; >60 years-old vs. 18–30 years-old: aOR: 2.92, 95% CI: 1.67–5.65), prior abdominal surgery (aOR: 3.58, 95% CI: 1.38–6.54), obesity (aOR: 2.52, 95% CI: 1.39–7.28) and surgical complexity (myomectomy/surgery for other uterine lesions vs. adnexal surgery: aOR: 1.56, 95% CI: 1.23–3.45; LAVH/TLH vs. adnexal surgery: aOR: 3.87, 95% CI: 1.39–8.23; surgery for malignancy vs. adnexal surgery: aOR: 7.62, 95% CI: 3.61–13.63) were associated with major complications. Conclusion: The rates of major and minor complications following gynecologic laparoscopic surgery were found to be low. Age, surgical complexity, previous abdominal surgery, and obesity are identified as risk factors for major complications

THE EFFECTS OF POLYALUMINIUM CHLORIDE (PAC) SLAG ON THE PROPERTIES OF RECYCLED CONCRETE

In this paper, recycled concrete aggregates and PAC slag were used to prepare concrete. X-ray fluorescence (XRF), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were used to analyse the micro-properties of the PAC and the concrete. Furthermore, the effects of the activators on the water absorption, compressive strength and frost resistance of the concrete were studied. The results showed that the effects of the activators on the water absorption were not obvious, but they could improve the activity of the PAC slag, thus, the hydration products in the mortar significantly increased and the micro-structure of the mortar became denser. Furthermore, the compressive strength of the concrete at 28 days increased by 26.5% when the activator was mixed with 3% water glass and 3% sodium sulfate. Moreover, the activators could improve the frost resistance of the concrete. However, when the activators were added in the concrete together, negative effects were found on the frost resistance of the concrete, with a mass loss of 20%

TET-Yeasate: An engineered yeast whole-cell lysate-based approach for high performance tetracycline degradation

The widespread of tetracycline (TC) residues in anthropogenic and natural environments pose an immediate threat to public health. Herein, we established the TET-Yeasate, an approach based on whole-cell lysate of engineered yeast, to mitigate the TC contamination in environment. The TET-Yeasate is defined as the biological matrix of whole cell lysate from engineered yeast that containing TC-degradative components (Tet(X), NADPH, Mg2+) and protective macromolecules. The TET-Yeasate was able to efficiently eliminate TC residues in tap water (98.8%), lake water (77.6%), livestock sewage (87.3%) and pharmaceutical wastewater (35.3%) without necessity for exogenous addition of expensive cofactors. The TET-Yeasate was further developed into lyophilized form for ease of storage and delivery. The TET-Yeasate in lyophilized form efficiently removed up to 74.6% TC residue within 0.25 h. In addition, the lyophilization confers promising resilience to TET-Yeasate against adverse temperatures and pH by maintaining degradation efficacy of 85.69%−97.83%. The stability test demonstrated that the biomacromolecules in lysate served as natural protectants that exerted extensive protection on TET-Yeasate during the 14-day storage at various conditions. In addition, 5 potential degradation pathways were elaborated based on the intermediate products. Finally, the analysis indicated that TET-Yeasate enjoyed desirable bio- and eco-safety without introduction of hazardous intermediates and spread of resistance genes. To summary, the TET-Yeasate based on whole cell lysate of engineered yeast provides a cost-effective and safe alternative to efficiently remove TC residues in environment, highlighting the great potential of such whole-cell based methods in environmental decontamination