A study of zebrafish locomotion using experimental and numerical simulation

Zebrafish larvae has aroused worldwide attention in the medical field for assisting the development of new medicines because of its biological nature. To study the interactions between swimming zebrafish and surrounding fluid, we have developed a novel tool to exploit intravital changes based on the experimentally observed zebrafish locomotion. By using our in-house MATLAB code and a customized Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tool, we are able to simulate the real zebrafish swimming which is comparable to the observed live zebrafish

A primary Rosai-Dorfman-Destombes disease of the scalp: case report and literature review

BackgroundRosai-Dorfman-Destombes disease (RDD) was first described in 1965 as a benign histiocytic proliferative disorder of unknown cause. Cases of RDD limited to cutaneous tissue have been reported over the past few decades, but single cutaneous RDD of the scalp is rare.Case presentationWe report a 31-year-old male with a lump on the parietal scalp without extranodal lesion lasting 1 month with gradual enlargement. The surgical incision ruptured with purulent after the first resection. Then the patient was treated with plastic surgery after disinfection and antibiotic treatment. Finally, he recovered well and discharged after 20 days.ConclusionsRDD of the scalp is rare. Surgical incision can cure the lesion but it may become infected because of increased lymphocytic infiltration. Early diagnosis and differential diagnosis of RDD are necessary. For treatment, individualized therapy is critical to patient prognosis

Meteorological impacts on surface ozone: A case study based on Kolmogorov–Zurbenko filtering and multiple linear regression

Ozone variation, excluding meteorological effects, is very important to assess the effects of air pollution control policies. In this study, the Kolmogorov-Zurbenko (KZ) filter method and multiple linear stepwise regression are combined to study the impact of meteorological parameters on ozone concentration over the past 5 years (2016–2020) in a petrochemical industrial city in northern China. Monte Carlo simulations were used to evaluate the reliability for the potential quasi quantitative prediction of the baseline component. The average level of the city and the details of five stations in the city were studied. The results show that the short-term, seasonal, and long-term component variances of maximum daily running average 8 h (MDA8) ozone in Zibo city (City) decomposed by the KZ filter account for 32.06%, 61.67% and 1.15% of the total variance, for a specific station, the values were 32.37%–34.90%, 56.64%–62.00%, and .35%–3.14%, respectively. The average long-term component increase rate is 3.19 μg m−3 yr−1 on average for the city, while it is 1.52–5.95 μg m−3 yr−1 for a specific station. The overall meteorological impact was not stable and fluctuated between −2.60 μg m−3 and +3.77 μg m−3. This difference in trends between the city and specific stations implied that the O3 precursor’s mitigation strategy should be more precise to improve its practical effects

Non-invasive detection of lymphoma with circulating tumor DNA features and protein tumor markers

BackgroundAccording to GLOBOCAN 2020, lymphoma ranked as the 9th most common cancer and the 12th leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Traditional diagnostic methods rely on the invasive excisional lymph node biopsy, which is an invasive approach with some limitations. Most lymphoma patients are diagnosed at an advanced stage since they are asymptomatic at the beginning, which has significantly impacted treatment efficacy and prognosis of the disease.MethodThis study assessed the performance and utility of a newly developed blood-based assay (SeekInCare) for lymphoma early detection. SeekInCare utilized protein tumor markers and a comprehensive set of cancer-associated genomic features, including copy number aberration (CNA), fragment size (FS), end motif, and lymphoma-related virus, which were profiled by shallow WGS of cfDNA.ResultsProtein marker CA125 could be used for lymphoma detection independent of gender, and the sensitivity was 27.8% at specificity of 98.0%. After integrating these multi-dimensional features, 77.8% sensitivity was achieved at specificity of 98.0%, while its NPV and PPV were both more than 92% for lymphoma detection. The sensitivity of early-stage (I-II) lymphoma was up to 51.3% (47.4% and 55.0% for stage I and II respectively). After 2 cycles of treatment, the molecular response of SeekInCare was correlated with the clinical outcome.ConclusionIn summary, a blood-based assay can be an alternative to detect lymphoma with adequate performance. This approach becomes particularly valuable in cases where obtaining tissue biopsy is difficult to obtain or inconclusive

Diastereoisomer-Specific Biotransformation of Hexabromocyclododecanes by a Mixed Culture Containing Dehalococcoides mccartyi Strain 195

Hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) stereoisomers may exhibit substantial differences in physicochemical, biological, and toxicological properties. However, there remains a lack of knowledge about stereoisomer-specific toxicity, metabolism, and environmental fate of HBCD. In this study, the biotransformation of (±)α-, (±)β-, and (±)γ-HBCD contained in technical HBCD by a mixed culture containing the organohalide-respiring bacterium Dehalococcoides mccartyi strain 195 was investigated. Results showed that the mixed culture was able to efficiently biotransform the technical HBCD mixture, with 75% of the initial HBCD (∼12 μM) in the growth medium being removed within 42 days. Based on the metabolites analysis, HBCD might be sequentially debrominated via dibromo elimination reaction to form tetrabromocyclododecene, dibromocyclododecadiene, and 1,5,9-cyclododecatriene. The biotransformation of the technical HBCD was likely diastereoisomer-specific. The transformation rates of α-, β-, and γ-HBCD were in the following order: α-HBCD > β-HBCD > γ-HBCD. The enantiomer fractions of (±)α-, (±)β-, and (±)γ-HBCD were maintained at about 0.5 during the 28 days of incubation, indicating a lack of enantioselective biotransformation of these diastereoisomers. Additionally, the amendment of another halogenated substrate tetrachloroethene (PCE), which supports the growth of strain 195, had a negligible impact on the transformation patterns of HBCD diastereoisomers and enantiomers. This study provided new insights into the stereoisomer-specific transformation patterns of HBCD by anaerobic microbes and has important implications for microbial remediation of anoxic environments contaminated by HBCD using the mixed culture containing Dehalococcoides

Modeling Rett Syndrome Using TALEN-Edited MECP2 Mutant Cynomolgus Monkeys

Gene-editing technologies have made it feasible to create nonhuman primate models for human genetic disorders. Here, we report detailed genotypes and phenotypes of TALEN-edited MECP2 mutant cynomolgus monkeys serving as a model for a neurodevelopmental disorder, Rett syndrome (RTT), which is caused by loss-of-function mutations in the human MECP2 gene. Male mutant monkeys were embryonic lethal, reiterating that RTT is a disease of females. Through a battery of behavioral analyses, including primate-unique eye-tracking tests, in combination with brain imaging via MRI, we found a series of physiological, behavioral, and structural abnormalities resembling clinical manifestations of RTT. Moreover, blood transcriptome profiling revealed that mutant monkeys resembled RTT patients in immune gene dysregulation. Taken together, the stark similarity in phenotype and/or endophenotype between monkeys and patients suggested that gene-edited RTT founder monkeys would be of value for disease mechanistic studies as well as development of potential therapeutic interventions for RTT

Recent Advances in Selective Hydrogenation of Cinnamaldehyde over Supported Metal-Based Catalysts

Selective hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde (CAL) is an important reaction because the main products, cinnamic alcohol (COL) and hydrocinnamaldehyde (HCAL), are used in various fields, such as production of pharmaceutical intermediates, chemicals, perfumes, and fragrances. In recent years, numerous metal-based catalysts and significant study achievements have been reported. Thus, this Review focuses on selective hydrogenation of CAL to target products in terms of metal-based catalysts and summarizes recent developments in this reaction with different catalysts, including Pt-, Pd-, Ru-, Ni-, Co-, and Cu-based catalysts. In addition, the reaction mechanisms of different catalysts, the effects of catalyst substrates, the different catalyst structures, and the synergistic effects in bimetallic catalysts are discussed. Lastly, the limitations and barriers encountered for noble metal and non-noble metal catalysts in the current study as well as potential research trends are discussed

Role of modified nasopharyngeal oxygen therapy in apnoeic oxygenation under general anaesthesia: a single-centre, randomized controlled clinical study

Apnoeic oxygenation is not only important for patients who cannot be intubated/ventilated, but also can be routinely employed when planning to secure the airway.We aimed to compare safe apnoea times between patients receiving modified nasopharyngeal oxygen therapy and those receiving high-flow nasal oxygen therapy (HFNO) following the induction of general anaesthesia.This was a single-centre, randomized controlled clinical study. Eighty-four female patients undergoing elective laparoscopic gynaecological surgery under general anaesthesia were randomly assigned to the high-flow nasal oxygen therapy group (Group HFNO) or the modified nasopharyngeal oxygen therapy group (Group Naso). A Kaplan–Meier survival curve was used to describe the apnoeic oxygenation time.The safe apnoea time of the patients in the Group Naso was higher than that of the patients in the Group HFNO (20 (19.3 to 20.0) vs. 16.5 (12.9 to 20) minutes, P \u3c 0.05). The incidence of SpO2 \u3c 95% in the Group Naso was lower than that in the Group HFNO; hazard ratio 0.3 (95% confidence interval 0.2 to 0.6, P \u3c 0.0001). Modified nasopharyngeal oxygen therapy which uses far less oxygen than HFNO is a convenient and effective method of apnoeic oxygenation in normal female patients. Trial registration: https://www.chictr.org.cn, ChiCTR2000039433; date of registration: 28/10/2020

Cultivation of nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane-oxidizing bacteria: impact of reactor configuration

Nitrite-dependent anaerobic methane oxidation (n-damo) is mediated by bacteria that anaerobically oxidize methane coupled with nitrite reduction and is a potential bioprocess for wastewater treatment. In this work, the effect of reactor configuration on n-damo bacterial cultivation was investigated. A magnetically stirred gas lift reactor (MSGLR), a sequencing batch reactor (SBR), and a continuously stirred tank reactor (CSTR) were selected to cultivate the bacteria. Microbial community was monitored by using quantitative PCR, 16S rRNA gene sequencing, pmoA gene sequencing, and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The effects of substrate inhibition, methane mass transfer, and biomass washout in the three reactors were focused on. The results indicated that the MSGLR had the best performance among the three reactor systems, with the highest total and specific n-damo activities. Its maximum volumetric nitrogen removal rate was up to 76.9 mg N L day, which was higher than previously reported values (5.1-37.8 mg N L d)