Crust-Mantle Interaction Controls the Formation of High-Mg Adakitic Rocks: Evidence from Early Cretaceous Intrusive Complexes in Luxi Terrane, North China Craton

High-Mg adakite rocks preserve crucial information about the crust-mantle interactions during the magma evolution. The Luxi Terrane, southeastern North China Craton, stores a set of Early Cretaceous high-Mg adakite rocks; nevertheless, their petrogenesis remains controversial. In this study, we present new whole-rock geochemistry, zircon U-Pb-Hf isotopes in the Tiezhai, Jinxingtou, and Sanshanyu complexes which are composed of gabbroic diorite, diorites, syenites, and monzonites. Field observations and zircon U-Pb dating indicate that all of the rock units crystallized contemporaneously at ca. 125–120 Ma. They are characterized by high Al2O3 and Sr contents, and low MgO, Y, Yb, and heavy rare earth elements contents, coupled with high Sr/Y values (42–163), showing adakitic affinities. The magma mixing process is supported by the following ample evidence: (1) the disequilibrium mineral textures and mafic enclaves; (2) high Mg# values (37–69, Mean = 58); and (3) widely zircons εHf(t) values (−25.6 to +7.8). The signature geochemical characteristics support that the adakites were generated by magma mixing of ancient crust-derived melts and relatively mafic melts from metasomatized mantle source. In combined with regional geology, the Early Cretaceous high-Mg adakites in Luxi Terrane represent the magmatic response of intensive crust-mantle interaction caused by the underplating of voluminous mantle-derived magma in an extension intracontinental setting

N6-Methylandenosine-Related lncRNAs in Tumor Microenvironment Are Potential Prognostic Biomarkers in Colon Cancer

BackgroundLncRNA dysregulation and the tumor microenvironment (TME) have been shown to play a vital role in the progression and prognosis of colon cancer (CC). We aim to reveal the potential molecular mechanism from the perspective of lncRNA in the TME and provide the candidate biomarkers for CC prognosis.MethodsESTIMATE analysis was used to divide the CC patients into high and low immune or stromal score groups. The expression array of lncRNA was re-annotated by Seqmap. Microenvironment-associated lncRNAs were filtered through differential analysis. The m6A-associated lncRNAs were screened by Pearson correlation analysis. Lasso Cox regression analyses were performed to construct the m6A- and tumor microenvironment-related lncRNA prognostic model (m6A-TME-LM). Survival analysis was used to assess the prognostic efficacy of candidate lncRNAs. Enrichment analyses annotated the candidate genes’ functions.ResultsWe obtained 25 common differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs) associated with immune microenvironment and m6A-related genes for subsequent lasso analysis. Four out of these DELs were selected for the m6A-TME-LM. All the four lncRNAs were related to overall survival, and a test set testified the result. Further stratification analysis of the m6A-TME-LM retained its ability to predict OS for male and chemotherapy adjuvant patients and performed an excellent prognostic efficacy in the TNM stage III and IV subgroups. Network analysis also found the four lncRNAs mediated co-expression network was associated with tumor development.ConclusionWe constructed the m6A-TME-LM, which could provide a better prognostic prediction of CC

Analysis of the parathyroid function in maintenance hemodialysis patients from Changchun, China

Objective: To evaluate the parathyroid function in maintenance hemodialysis patients from 4 hemodialysis centers and to analyze the cause of the dysfunction. Methods: This cross-sectional study included patients with chronic renal disease undergoing maintenance hemodialysis treatment at 4 hemodialysis centers in Changchun, China, between March 2014 and August 2015. A total of 337 patients were asked to complete a questionnaire including their name, gender, age, hemodialysis duration, the use of calcium carbonate and vitamin D3 supplements, health education status, hemofiltration frequency, appetite, and education level. Serum intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH), phosphorus, total calcium, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), and creatinine (Cre) levels were obtained from clinical information. Patients with iPTH data were divided into 2 groups: Normal group: the patients with an iPTH level  100 pg/ml (136 subjects). Intergroup differences were analyzed using the t-test. The enumeration data were analyzed by the Ï2 test. Results: The iPTH levels were not monitored for 173 maintenance hemodialysis patients (51.3%) but for 164 patients (48.7%). Of the 164 patients, 28 (17.1%) had a normal serum iPTH level, while the other 136 (82.9%) had an abnormal iPTH level. The maintenance hemodialysis duration and phosphorus levels in the Abnormal group were higher than those in the Normal group (P < 0.05). The appetites of patients in the Abnormal group were better than those of patients in the Normal group (P < 0.05). Conclusions: A lower proportion of patients on hemodialysis had a normal iPTH level. The phosphorus levels of patients on hemodialysis should be controlled via dietary interventions. Keywords: Maintenance hemodialysis, Intact parathyroid hormone, Serum phosphoru

Atmospheric Concentrations and Deposition or Organochlorine Pesticides in US Mid-Atlantic Region

Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) were measured in the atmosphere over the period January 2000- May 2001 at six locations as part of New Jersey Atmospheric Deposition Network (NJADN). Gas phase, particle phase and precipitation con centrations of 22 OCP species, including chloranes, DDTs, HCHs, endosulfan I and II, aldrin and diedrin, were measured. OCPs are found predominantly in the gas phase in all seasons, representing over 95% of the total air concentrations.JRC.H.5-Rural, water and ecosystem resource

Nanoparticles Inhibit DNA Replication by Binding to DNA: Modeling and Experimental Validation

Predictive models are beneficial tools for researchers to use in prioritizing nanoparticles (NPs) for toxicological tests, but experimental evaluation can be time-consuming and expensive, and thus, priority should be given to tests that identify the NPs most likely to be harmful. For characterization of NPs, the physical binding of NPs to DNA molecules is important to measure, as interference with DNA function may be one cause of toxicity. Here, we determined the interaction energy between 12 types of NPs and DNA based on the Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek (DLVO) model and then predicted the affinity of the NPs for DNA. Using the single-molecule imaging technique known as atomic force microscopy (AFM), we experimentally determined the binding affinity of those NPs for DNA. Theoretical predictions and experimental observations of the binding affinity agreed well. Furthermore, the effect of NPs on DNA replication <i>in vitro</i> was investigated with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. The results showed that NPs with a high affinity for DNA strongly inhibited DNA replication, whereas NPs with low affinity had no or minimal effects on DNA replication. The methodology here is expected to benefit the genotoxicological testing of NPs as well as the design of safe NPs

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Serum levels of PTEN mRNA in colorectal cancer: a case-control study

AbstractWe, the Editors and Publisher of the journal Artificial Cells, Nanomedicine, and Biotechnology, have retracted the following article:Yang Yan, Xiaohui Du, Shaoyou Xia, Songyan Li, Da Teng, Shidong Hu, Yufeng Wang & Rong Li (2020) Serum levels of PTEN mRNA in colorectal cancer: a case-control study. Artificial Cells, Nanomedicine, and Biotechnology, 48:1, 789–793, DOI: 10.1080/21691401.2019.1576708It has come to our attention that the full authorship list and affiliations for this manuscript were changed after the article was accepted. We have contacted the corresponding author for an explanation, but we have not received a satisfactory explanation. As determining authorship is core to the integrity of published work, we are therefore retracting the article. The corresponding author listed in this publication has been informed.We have been informed in our decision-making by our policy on publishing ethics and integrity and the COPE guidelines on retractions.The retracted article will remain online to maintain the scholarly record, but it will be digitally watermarked on each page as ‘Retracted’

Evidence for Dechlorination of Polychlorinated Biphenyls and Polychlorinated Dibenzo-<i>p</i>-Dioxins and -Furans in Wastewater Collection Systems in the New York Metropolitan Area

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated dibenzo-<i>p</i>-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) are persistent organic pollutants targeted by the Stockholm Convention. Both contain aromatic chlorines and are subject to microbial dechlorination. Dechlorination of PCBs in sewers in the Delaware River basin was recently reported. In this work, two data sets on concentrations of PCBs and PCBs+PCDD/Fs in wastewater treatment plant influents and effluents were analyzed to look for evidence that these compounds undergo dechlorination in the sewers of the New York/New Jersey Harbor area. The two data sets come from the Contamination Assessment and Reduction Project (CARP) and were analyzed via Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF). Analysis of the data set containing only PCB concentrations suggests that PCBs are dechlorinated in the sewers of the NY/NJ Harbor via the same pathways observed in the sewers of the Delaware River basin and that advanced dechlorination of PCB mixtures is more likely to occur in combined sewers vs separate sanitary sewers. When the combined data set of PCBs+PCDD/Fs was analyzed, the factor containing PCB dechlorination products also contained high proportions of 1,2,3,4,6,7,8-heptachlorodibenzo-<i>p</i>-dioxin (HpCDD), a known product of the dechlorination of octachlorodibenzo-<i>p</i>-dioxin (OCDD), and other known dechlorination products of PCDD/Fs. Despite being the most abundant PCDD/F congener in all of the samples in the database, OCDD was a minor component in the dechlorination factor. This provides the first evidence that PCDD/Fs may be dechlorinated in sewers