The prognosis of Different Types of Reciprocal ST-segment Depression (R-ST-D) on Electrocardiograms in Acute Myocardial Infarction

Summary: Background: We investigated how to define the culprit coronary artery according to different reciprocal ST-segment depression (R-ST-D) types on electrocardiograms in ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI), as well as the high-risk factors. Methods: To analyze the prognosis of different R-ST-D types to define the culprit coronary artery and high-risk factors, 967 patients with STEMI were included and divided into four groups according to STEMI infarction sites and R-ST-D type: group I (type I), without R-ST-D (n = 143); group II (type II), R-ST-D less than or equal to the amplitude of ST-segment elevation (n = 664); group III (type III), R-ST-D greater than or equal to the amplitude of ST-segment elevation (n = 93); and group IV (type IV), the amplitudes of R-ST-D and ST-segment elevation were both elevated (n = 67). Results: The incidence of type II was the highest at 68.7%, followed by that of type I, which was mainly due to anterior descending branch stenosis. Type IV was mainly caused by complete occlusion of multiple vessels including the anterior descending branch and circumflex branch and/or right coronary artery. Type III was always related to a higher incidence of malignant complications, ventricular wall motion disorders, and ejection fraction index ≤50% compared with types I and II (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01, respectively). Conclusion: Different high-risk stratifications of R-ST-D in patients with STEMI, especially type III and IV, can be used as objective independent indices to predict and assess the culprit coronary artery and life-threatening prognosis. Keywords: myocardial infarction, reciprocal ST-segment, type, prognosi

The effects of different human disturbance regimes on root fungal diversity of Rhododendron ovatum in subtropical forests of China

Ericoid mycorrhizal associations are a symbiotic relationship between soil fungi and ericaceous plants. Diversity of fungi associated with hair roots of ericaceous plants may vary as a result of frequent disturbances by human activities. The fungal diversity and communities associated with hair roots of Rhododendron ovatum were investigated along a human disturbance gradient in subtropical forests of China. Nine hundred fungal operational taxonomic units were determined by high-throughput sequencing, including different phyla such as Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Zygomycota, Chytridiomycota, and Glomeromycota. The dominant phylum in Cunninghamia lanceolata plantations and old-growth forest was Ascomycota, while Basidiomycota was the dominant phylum in secondary forests. The indicator species analyses showed that more pathogenic indicator fungi appeared in the disturbed forests, whereas more putative ericoid mycorrhizal fungi existed in the old-growth forests. Principal component analysis also showed that the fungal communities in the hair roots of R. ovatum were distinct between natural forests and plantations, suggesting that the fungal communities associated with hair roots of R. ovatum after logging were resilient and could recover to predisturbance status. The results of envfit analysis showed that performance of host plants rather than accompanying plant community and soil parameters of plots was the key determinant of the root-associated fungal community of R. ovatum

The effects of different human disturbance regimes on root fungal diversity of Rhododendron ovatum in subtropical forests of China

Ericoid mycorrhizal associations are symbiotic relationship between soil fungi and ericaceous plants. Diversity of fungi associated with hair roots of ericaceous plants may vary as a result of frequent disturbances by human activities. The fungal diversity and communities associated with hair roots of Rhododendron ovatum was investigated along a human disturbance gradient in subtropical forests of China. 900 fungal OTUs were determined by the high-throughput sequencing, including different phyla such as Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Zygomycota, Chytridiomycota, and Glomeromycota. The dominant phylum in PLF and OGF was Ascomycota, while Basidiomycota was the dominant phylum in secondary forests. The indicator species analyses showed that more pathogenic indicator fungi appeared in the disturbed forests, whereas more putative ericoid mycorrhizal fungi existed in the old growth forests. Principal Component Analysis also showed that the fungal communities in the hair roots of R. ovatum were distinct between natural forests and plantations, suggesting that the fungal communities associated with hair roots of R. ovatum after logging were resilient and could be recovered to pre-disturbance status. The results of envfit analysis showed that performance of host plants rather than accompany plant community and soil parameters of plots were the key determinant of root-associated fungal community of R. ovatum.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

Diversity of root-associated fungi of Vaccinium mandarinorum along a human disturbance gradient in subtropical forests, China

Aims Ericaceous plant species can host diverse fungi in their roots, including ericoid mycorrhizal fungi (ERMF), endophytes, pathogens and some species with unknown functions. However, how this diversity of fungi responds to different human disturbances is not well understood. Methods In this study, we examined the effects of different human disturbance on fungal diversity in hair roots of Vaccinium mandarinorum, an ericaceous plant. Fungal DNA was extracted from hair roots of V. mandarinorum and high-throughput sequencing was applied to detect the diversity of root-associated fungi along a human disturbance gradient in subtropical forests in Gutianshan National Nature Reserve (GNNR) in East China. The four forest types with different disturbance regime were: old growth forest (OGF), secondary forest with once cut (SEC I), secondary forest with twice cut (SEC II) and Cunninghamia lanceolata plantation (PLF). Important Findings The results showed that: (i) diverse fungal operational units (OTUs) were detected in hair roots of V. mandarinorum in the four types of forests, covering fungal phyla of Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, Chytridiomycota, Glomeromycota and Zygomycota; (ii) Community composition of root-associated fungi of V. mandarinorum in PLF was distinct from those in the other three forest types, and two types of secondary forests had similar fungal community composition; (iii) Different fungal families respond differently to human disturbances: fungal families with significant preference to OGF were ectomycorrhizal or saprophytic fungi while fungal families with higher relative abundance in PLF were plant pathogenic or saprophytic fungi; (iv) The first principal component (PC1) of plant community had a significant effect on composition of root-associated fungal community, while edaphic parameters showed no significant effect on fungal community composition in roots of V. mandarinorum. Our results help to better understand the responses of both ericaceous plants and their fungal partners to human disturbances and forest managements

Contaminations, Sources, and Health Risks of Trace Metal(loid)s in Street Dust of a Small City Impacted by Artisanal Zn Smelting Activities

To investigate the impact of artisanal zinc smelting activities (AZSA) on the distribution and enrichment of trace metal(loid)s in street dust of a small city in Guizhou province, SW China, street dust samples were collected and analyzed for 10 trace metal(loid)s (Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Cd, Sb, Pb, and Hg). Meanwhile, the health risks of local resident exposed to street dust were assessed. The result showed that the average concentrations of 10 elements were Zn (1039 mg kg−1), Pb (423 mg kg−1), Cr (119 mg kg−1), Cu (99 mg kg−1), As (55 mg kg−1), Ni (39 mg kg−1), Co (18 mg kg−1), Sb (7.6 mg kg−1), Cd (2.6 mg kg−1), and Hg (0.22 mg kg−1). Except Ni, Co, and Cr, other elements in street dust were obviously elevated compared to the provincial soil background. Pb, Zn, Cd, Sb, and Cu were at heavy to moderate contamination status, especially Pb and Zn, with maximums of 1723 and 708 mg kg−1, respectively; As and Hg were slightly contaminated; while Cr, Ni, and Co were at un-contaminated levels. Multivariate statistical analysis revealed AZSA contributed to the increase of Pb, Zn, Cd, Sb, As, and Hg, while, natural sources introduced Ni, Co, Cr, and Cu. The health risk assessment disclosed that children had higher non-carcinogenic risk than those found in adults, and As has hazardous index (HI) higher than 1 both for children and adults, while Pb and Cr only had HIs higher than 1 for children, other elements were relatively safe. For carcinogenic risks, the major concern was As, then a lesser concern for Cr. The study showed that although the scale of AZSA was small, the contamination of heavy metal(loid)s in street dust and associated health risks were severe

Feasibility of feeding cadmium accumulator maize (Zea mays L.) to beef cattle: Discovering a strategy for eliminating phytoremediation residues

Eco-friendly and efficient strategies for eliminating cadmium (Cd) phytoremediation plant residues are needed. The present study investigated the feasibility of feeding Cd accumulator maize to beef cattle. In total, 20 cattle at 6 months of age were selected and randomly allocated into two groups fed with 85.82% (fresh basis) Cd accumulator maize (CAM) or normal maize (control [Con]) silage diets for 107 d. Feeding CAM did not affect the body weight (P = 0.24), while it decreased feed intake and increased feed efficiency of beef cattle (P < 0.01). Feeding CAM increased serum concentrations of immunoglobulin A and G, complement 3 and 4, blood urea nitrogen, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, decreased serum concentrations of interleukin-6 and lipopolysaccharide (P < 0.05), and caused wider lumens in the renal tubules. The Cd residue in meat was 7 μg/kg beyond the restriction for human food. In the muscle, the unsaturated fatty acids (t11C18:1 and C20:4), Lys, Arg, Pro, and Cys were decreased, while the saturated fatty acids (C10:0, C12:0, and C17:0) and Leu were increased (P < 0.05). Therefore, at the current feeding level, phytoremediation maize increased the feed efficiency of beef cattle, but did present risks to cattle health and production safety, and decreased the meat nutrition and flavor. Further research must be performed to determine whether a lower proper dose of phytoremediation maize and an appropriate feeding period may be possible to ensure no risk to cattle health and the supply of safe meat for humans

FeNi Cubic Cage@N-Doped Carbon Coupled with N‑Doped Graphene toward Efficient Electrochemical Water Oxidation

Oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is of great significance in electrochemical water splitting on industrial scale, which suffers from the slow kinetics and large overpotential, thus setting the main obstacle for efficient water electrolysis. To pursue cost-effective OER electrocatalysts with high activity and durable stability, we here set a facile strategy to prepare N-doped graphene supported core–shell FeNi alloy@N-doped carbon nanocages (FeNi@NC-NG) by annealing graphene oxides supported Prussian blue analogues under H₂/Ar atmosphere. Based on the specific structural benefits, the present catalyst shows superior OER catalytic activity than precious metal catalyst of RuO₂ and Ir/C, with a low overpotential of 270 mV for 10 mA cm^–2, as well as high stability. The simple synthesis process and outstanding electrocatalytic performances show great potential of FeNi@NC-NG to replace the noble metal-based catalysts toward electrochemical water oxidation