Cancer-Related Anemia Is a Risk Factor for Medium-Term Postoperative Cognitive Dysfunction in Laparoscopic Surgery Patients: An Observational Prospective Study

Anemia in the elderly may impair cognitive function. Our primary objective was to determine whether cancer-related anemia was associated with postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) in nonelderly patients. We conducted an observational prospective study of 177 patients scheduled for laparoscopic surgery. Patients aged 18-64 were divided into two groups according to whether they were anemic due to cancer or not. The cognitive function was assessed by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) 1 day before and 1 week after operation. The cognitive function of the patients was evaluated by using the Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status-Modified (TICS-M) 3 months after operation. The quality of life of patients was evaluated after operation. The hemoglobin level and other clinical data were recorded before operation. Of the 170 patients, 100 without anemia and 70 anemia patients had been evaluated 1 week after operation. POCD was detected in 43 cases (25.3% of 170 cases) at 1 week and 30 cases (19% of 158 cases) at 3 months postoperatively. Anemia was an independent risk factor for 3-month POCD occurrence (P=0.034). The education level of the patients who had POCD at 1 week and 3 months after operation was lower (P<0.001, P=0.011, respectively). Age was independently associated with the incidence of POCD at 3 months (P=0.011). In general, these findings suggested that anemia may increase the incidence of medium-term POCD in cancer patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery

Ultrathick MoS2 Films with Exceptionally High Volumetric Capacitance

Manufacturing electrode films at an industrial-level submillimeter thickness (≈100 µm) with superior volumetric performance is of practical significance for the commercialization of miniaturized supercapacitor systems. This work proposes a commercially scalable solvated-ion-intercalated hydrothermal strategy to demonstrate a record-high volumetric capacitance (511.29 F cm−3) for supercapacitors based on an industrial-level submillimeter MoS2 film electrode (94.2 µm). The intercalated solvated Li+ ions increase the amount of negative surface charge and reduce the formation energy of 1T MoS2, leading to a high metallic phase content of 82.7% with enhanced electrical conductivity. Together with the expanded interlayer distance (≈1.23 nm), this allows rapid electron transfer and ion transport in the excessively stacked ultrathick MoS2 film to be simultaneously realized. Thus, the as-fabricated MoS2||graphene/carbon nanotube asymmetric supercapacitor presents both high energy and power densities, outperforms those of commercial devices, including supercapacitors with submillimeter-thick electrodes and even micrometer-thick electrodes.</p

Rapid and sensitive identification of RNA from the emerging pathogen, coxsackievirus A6

BACKGROUND: Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is caused by members of the family Picornaviridae in the genus Enterovirus. It has been reported that coxsackievirus A6 (CVA6) infections are emerging as a new and major cause of epidemic HFMD. Sporadic HFMD cases positive for CVA6 were detected in the mainland of China in recent years. To strengthen the surveillance of CVA6 infections and outbreak control, the clinical diagnosis is urgently needed to distinguish the CVA6 infection disease from other infections. METHODS: In order to develop a sensitive quantitative real-time RT-PCR assay for rapid detection of CVA6 RNA, primers and probe were designed to target the VP1 gene segment of CVA6. The conservation of the target segment was firstly analyzed by bioinformatic technology. The specificity of the real-time RT-PCR was further confirmed by detecting other related viruses and standard curves were established for the sensitivity evaluation. The pharyngeal swab samples from the EV71 and CVA16 unrelated HFMD patients were applied for CVA6 detection through the established method. RESULTS: Based on the primer–probe set to detect the target VP1 gene segment of CVA6, the quantitative real-time RT-PCR assay could discriminate CVA6 infection from other resemble viral diseases with a potential detection limit of 10 viral copies/ml. The specificity of the assay was determined by sequence alignment and experimentally tested on various related viruses. The standard curve showed that the amplification efficiency of templates with different concentrations of templates was almost the same (R(2) >0.99). Evaluation of the established method with pharyngeal swabs samples showed good accordance with the results from serology diagnosis. CONCLUSION: This study is the first report developing a VP1 gene-based quantitative real-time RT-PCR for rapid, stable and specific detection of CVA6 virus. The real-time RT-PCR established in this study can be used as a reliable method for early diagnosis of CVA6 infection

Metabolism and Bioactivation of Fluorochloridone, a Novel Selective Herbicide, in Vivo and in Vitro

Fluorochloridone (FLC) is a herbicide used worldwide that is thought to be safe. However, due to its potential genotoxicity, cytotoxicity, and even systematic toxicity, there are increasing concerns about human exposure to this compound. Thus, the metabolism and bioactivation of FLC was investigated. After oral administration to mice, 27 metabolites were identified by ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-quadrupole time-of-flight-mass spectrometry and with further structural identification by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Hydroxylation and oxidative dechlorination were the major phase I pathways, while glutathione (GSH) and <i>N</i>-acetylcysteine conjugations were two major phase II pathways, indicating the formation of a reactive intermediate. In vitro microsomal and cytosolic studies revealed that a GSH conjugate (M13) was the predominant metabolite of FLC formed through a nucleophilic S_N2 substitution of 3-Cl by GSH; this pathway is NADPH independent and accelerated by glutathione <i>S</i>-transferase (GST). Further, a kinetic study showed that M13 formation in both human liver microsomes and cytosols obeyed typical Michaelis–Menten kinetics. The maximum clearance (<i>V</i>_max/<i>K</i>_m) of GSH conjugation in human liver microsomes was approximately 5.5-fold higher than human liver cytosol, thus implying that microsomal GST was mainly responsible for M13 formation. These findings are important for understanding the potential hazard of human exposure to FLC

Inspiraling streams of enriched gas observed around a massive galaxy 11 billion years ago

A tidal disruption event (TDE) occurs when a supermassive black hole rips apart a passing star. Part of the stellar material falls toward the black hole, forming an accretion disk that in some cases launches a relativistic jet. We performed optical polarimetry observations of a TDE, AT 2020mot. We find a peak linear polarization degree of 25 ± 4%, consistent with highly polarized synchrotron radiation, as is typically observed from relativistic jets. However, our radio observations, taken up to 8 months after the optical peak, do not detect the corresponding radio emission expected from a relativistic jet. We suggest that the linearly polarized optical emission instead arises from shocks that occur during accretion disk formation, as the stream of stellar material collides with itself.Immediate accessThis item from the UA Faculty Publications collection is made available by the University of Arizona with support from the University of Arizona Libraries. If you have questions, please contact us at [email protected]

The evolutionary origin and domestication history of goldfish (Carassius auratus)

Goldfish have been subjected to over 1,000 y of intensive domestication and selective breeding. In this report, we describe a high-quality goldfish genome (2n = 100), anchoring 95.75% of contigs into 50 pseudochromosomes. Comparative genomics enabled us to disentangle the two subgenomes that resulted from an ancient hybridization event. Resequencing 185 representative goldfish variants and 16 wild crucian carp revealed the origin of goldfish and identified genomic regions that have been shaped by selective sweeps linked to its domestication. Our comprehensive collection of goldfish varieties enabled us to associate genetic variations with a number of well-known anatomical features, including features that distinguish traditional goldfish clades. Additionally, we identified a tyrosine-protein kinase receptor as a candidate causal gene for the first well-known case of Mendelian inheritance in goldfish-the transparent mutant. The goldfish genome and diversity data offer unique resources to make goldfish a promising model for functional genomics, as well as domestication