Objective To explore the effectiveness and safety of guiding painless gastroscopic entry with plica aryepiglottica movement as the mark.Methods A total of 200 patients with elective painless gas-troscopic examination from January 2022 to August 2022 were selected,92 males and 108 female,aged 18-60 years old,BMI 18-30 kg/m2 and ASA grade Ⅰ-Ⅲ.The patients were divided into the two groups:the con-trol group (group C) and observation group (group O) by adopting the random number table method,100 ca-ses in each group.The disappearance of eyelash reflex in the group C served as the entry timing of gastrosco-py,while the plica aryepiglottica non-movement under the gastroscopic view in the group O served as the en-try timing of gastroscopy.The bispectral index (BIS) value during gastroscopic operation persistently main-tained 40-60.The main observation indicators were the adverse reactions caused by gastroscopic operation (body movement reactions,bucking,hiccup,laryngeal spasm,etc.),and the secondary observation indicators were:general data of the two groups,SpO2,HR,SBP and DBP values after entering the room (T0),at the en-try time of gastroscopy (T1),3 min after gastroscopic entry (T2),6 min after gastroscopic entry (T3) and at the time of gastroscopic retraction (T4),and the time of medication to gastroscopy,gastroscopic operation time and intraoperative medication supplementation.Results A total of 192 cases were ultimately included,99 cases in the group C and 93 cases in the group O.There was no statistically significant difference in general da-ta between the two groups (P>0.05);compared with the group C,the use amount of cyclophosphamide dur-ing anesthesia induction in the group O was increased (P<0.05).Compared with the group C,the incidence rates of body movement reaction,bucking,hiccup and total adverse reactions in the group O were decreased (P<0.05);SpO2,HR,SBP and DBP at different time points had no statistically significant differences be-tween the two groups (P>0.05).Conclusion Using the glottic movement as the marker to guide the pain-less gastroscopy entry is effective and safe,and could reduce the adverse reactions such as body movement re-action,bucking and hiccup caused by gastroscopic entry.Observing the plica aryepiglottica movement in the gastrocopic entry operation is simple and easy to perform,which could serve an objective gastroscopic entry timing mark and is worth promoting and using in clinic.

With the escalation of plastic bans and restrictions, bio-based plastics, represented by polylactic acid (PLA), have become a major alternative to traditional plastics in the current market and are unanimously regarded as having potential for development. However, there are still several misconceptions about bio-based plastics, whose complete degradation requires specific composting conditions. Bio-based plastics might be slow to degrade when it is released into the natural environment. They might also be harmful to humans, biodiversity and ecosystem function as traditional petroleum-based plastics do. In recent years, with the increasing production capacity and market size of PLA plastics in China, there is an urgent need to investigate and further strengthen the management of the life cycle of PLA and other bio-based plastics. In particular, the in-situ biodegradability and recycling of hard-to-recycle bio-based plastics in the ecological environment should be focused. This review introduces the characteristics, synthesis and commercialization of PLA plastics, summarizes the current research progress of microbial and enzymatic degradation of PLA plastics, and discusses their biodegradation mechanisms. Moreover, two bio-disposal methods against PLA plastic waste, including microbial in-situ treatment and enzymatic closed-loop recycling, are proposed. At last, the prospects and trends for the development of PLA plastics are presented.
Humans ; Ecosystem ; Biodegradable Plastics ; Polyesters ; Biodegradation, Environmental

Polyurethane (PUR) plastics is widely used because of its unique physical and chemical properties. However, unreasonable disposal of the vast amount of used PUR plastics has caused serious environmental pollution. The efficient degradation and utilization of used PUR plastics by means of microorganisms has become one of the current research hotspots, and efficient PUR degrading microbes are the key to the biological treatment of PUR plastics. In this study, an Impranil DLN-degrading bacteria G-11 was isolated from used PUR plastic samples collected from landfill, and its PUR-degrading characteristics were studied. Strain G-11 was identified as Amycolatopsis sp. through 16S rRNA gene sequence alignment. PUR degradation experiment showed that the weight loss rate of the commercial PUR plastics upon treatment of strain G-11 was 4.67%. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) showed that the surface structure of G-11-treated PUR plastics was destroyed with an eroded morphology. Contact angle and thermogravimetry analysis (TGA) showed that the hydrophilicity of PUR plastics increased along with decreased thermal stability upon treatment by strain G-11, which were consistent with the weight loss and morphological observation. These results indicated that strain G-11 isolated from landfill has potential application in biodegradation of waste PUR plastics.
Plastics/metabolism* ; Polyurethanes/chemistry* ; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S ; Bacteria/genetics* ; Biodegradation, Environmental

Objective:To examine the expression of core clock genes in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and the level of circadian disturbance-related proteins in the serum of chronic pancreatitis (CP) patients with pancreatic exocrine insufficiency (PEI), and explore their potential diagnostic value in clinical practice.Methods:The peripheral blood samples and related clinical data from 68 patients diagnosed with CP in Shanghai General Hospital from Jan 2015 to Jan 2022 were collected. Peripheral blood samples from 30 healthy individuals were used for control. The M-ANNHEIM classification system was used to stratify the clinical stages of patients with CP. The mRNA expression of the core clock genes, including Clock, Bmal1, Per1/2/3 and Cry1/2 in PBMCs was analyzed using realtime qPCR, and the expression of circadian disturbance-related proteins like TrkB, CD 36 and Rbp in serum was measured with ELISA. The receiver operating characteristic curve(ROC) and the area under curve (AUC) was used to test the efficiency for diagnozing PEI. Results:The mRNA expression of Per1 in CP patients was significantly decreased (0.76 vs 1, P<0.05), and the AUC for diagnozing PEI was 0.744 (95% CI 0.628-0.860), with a cut-off value of 0.72; and the sensitivity and specificity was 84.8% and 57.1%, respectively. The protein abundance of serum CD 36 was significantly increased in CP patients (33.85±19.74ng/ml vs 24.71±11.53 ng/ml, P<0.05); the AUC for diagnozing PEI was 0.834 (95% CI 0.735-0.932), with a cut-off value of 29.75 pg/ml; and the sensitivity and specificity was 74.3% and 84.8%, respectively. The expression of CD 36 was increased with the increase of CP clinical stage, and there were statistically significant differences between either two stages (all P value <0.05). The mRNA expression of Per1 in patients with CP in Stage Ⅰ was significantly higher than that in patients with CP in Stage Ⅱ or Ⅲ, and the differences were statistically significant ( P<0.05), but no statistical difference was found between Stage Ⅱ and Stage Ⅲ. Conclusions:The decreased expression of Per1 mRNA in PBMCs and increased level of CD 36 in serum are significantly related to the occurrence of PEI in CP, suggesting that they may have potential value for diagnozing PEI and guiding the clinical practice.

Existing traditional Chinese medicine (TCM)-related databases are still insufficient in data standardization, integrity and precision, and need to be updated urgently. Herein, an Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine version 2.0 (ETCM v2.0, http://www.tcmip.cn/ETCM2/front/#/) was constructed as the latest curated database hosting 48,442 TCM formulas recorded by ancient Chinese medical books, 9872 Chinese patent drugs, 2079 Chinese medicinal materials and 38,298 ingredients. To facilitate the mechanistic research and new drug discovery, we improved the target identification method based on a two-dimensional ligand similarity search module, which provides the confirmed and/or potential targets of each ingredient, as well as their binding activities. Importantly, five TCM formulas/Chinese patent drugs/herbs/ingredients with the highest Jaccard similarity scores to the submitted drugs are offered in ETCM v2.0, which may be of significance to identify prescriptions/herbs/ingredients with similar clinical efficacy, to summarize the rules of prescription use, and to find alternative drugs for endangered Chinese medicinal materials. Moreover, ETCM v2.0 provides an enhanced JavaScript-based network visualization tool for creating, modifying and exploring multi-scale biological networks. ETCM v2.0 may be a major data warehouse for the quality marker identification of TCMs, the TCM-derived drug discovery and repurposing, and the pharmacological mechanism investigation of TCMs against various human diseases.

Objective:To explore the clinical feasibility and application method of speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) in assessing left ventricular longitudinal strain in infants.Methods:One hundred and ten infants within one week of birth were randomly selected in the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University from June 2019 to February 2020, and the basic data were collected. STE was performed by two physicians with more than 5 years′ experience.Images of the same infant were analyzed by physicians with 5 years′ experience and 2 years′ experience, respectively, and the difference and correlation of the results between the two doctors were analyzed. The images of the same infant were analyzed twice by the doctor with 5 years′ experience, and the differences and correlations between the results were analyzed. The infants were divided into different groups according to weight to compare the correlations between inter-physicians and intra-physician. STE analysis indicators included global left ventricular longitudinal peak strain (Glps-avg), four-chamber left ventricular longitudinal strain (Glps-A4C), three-chamber left ventricular longitudinal strain (Glps-A3C), two-chamber left ventricular longitudinal strain(Glps-A2C), left ventricular anterior wall longitudinal strain (Glps-a), anterior interventricular septum longitudinal strain(Glps-ais), posterior interventricular septum longitudinal strain (Glps-pis), inferior wall of left ventricle longitudinal strain (Glps-i), posterior wall of left ventricle longitudinal strain (Glps-p), lateral wall of left ventricle longitudinal strain (Glps-l), left ventricular basal section longitudinal strain (Glps-bs), left ventricular middle section longitudinal strain (Glps-ms) and left ventricular apex section longitudinal strain (Glps-as), a total of 13 indicators. The differences were analyzed by paired t test, and the correlations were determined by intra-group correlation coefficient (ICC). Results:According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 95 patients were included. For the 13 STE indicators, inter-physicians comparison: the differences between the two physicians were statistically significant (all P<0.05) except for Glps-pis, and the ICC were 0.38-0.72 (all P<0.01). Intra-physician comparison: the differences of these indicators between two measurements were not statistically significant (all P>0.05) except for Glps-ais and Glps-I, ICC were 0.31-0.76 (all P<0.05). Among them, inter-physicians and Intra-physician ICC of Glps-avg, Glps-bs, Glps-ms were 0.68/0.75, 0.72/0.66 and 0.65/0.76 respectively. The group comparison by infants′ weight showed that: In very low weight infants group, the ICC of inter-physicians and intra-physician ranged 0.82-0.93(all P<0.05) and 0.80-0.95(all P<0.05). In low weight infants group, the ICC of inter-physicians and intra-physician ranged 0.65-0.94 (all P<0.05) and 0.69-0.93 (all P<0.01). In the normal weight infants group, ICC of inter-physicians ranged 0.06-0.68, with statistical significance except for Glps-A3C (all P<0.05); ICC of intra-physician ranged 0.36-0.59 (all P<0.05). In overweight infants group, there was no statistical significance in ICC of inter-physicians (all P>0.05), the ICC of intra-physician, Glps-bs and Glps-ms groups were 0.63 and 0.77 (all P<0.05), with no statistical significance in other indicators (all P>0.05). Conclusions:Left ventricular longitudinal strain by STE in infants has better repeatability, and the consistency of intra-physician is higher than inter-physicians, among which the Glps-avg consistency is the best, followed by Glps-bs and Glps-ms. STE is more reproducible in low and very low weight infants than in normal and overweight infants.

With the transformation and revolution of the global plastics recycling system, recycling and upcycling of mixed plastics waste not only reduces the carbon emissions of plastics during its life cycle, but also addresses its potential ecological and environmental hazards. This article summarizes an international cooperation project, "MIXed plastics biodegradation and UPcycling using microbial communities" (MIX-UP) which was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the European Union (NSFC-EU) in 2019. The consortium of MIX-UP consists of 14 partners from European Union and China. Focusing on the global issue of "plastics pollution", this Sino-European MIX-UP project took the mixed waste of petroleum-based plastics (PP, PE, PUR, PET and PS) and bio-based plastics (PLA and PHA) as starting materials for biotechnological conversion into value-added, sustainable biomaterials. MIX-UP has three subprojects: 1) identification of plastics biodegradation pathway and design & engineering of key degrading elements, 2) construction and functional regulation of microbial consortia/enzyme cocktails with high-efficiency for degradation of plastics mixtures, 3) strategy of design and utilization of plastics degradation products for production of high value materials. Through NSFC-EU complementary and cross-disciplinary cooperation, MIX-UP proposes the engineering of a new-to-nature biological route for upcycling, a low carbon and sustainable bio-treatment that is different from the traditional physico-chemical treatment, which will empower the recycling industry to a new dimension. The implementation of the project will not only help to promote innovation and development in the field of biotechnology in China, but also contribute to the achievement of China's carbon neutral goal.
Biodegradation, Environmental ; Biotechnology ; Carbon ; European Union ; Microbiota ; Plastics

Biodegradation of polyurethane (PUR) pollutants by microorganisms has received widespread attention currently. Identification of microorganisms capable of efficiently degrading PUR plastics is a key point. In this study, a strain P10 capable of degrading PUR was isolated from the plastic wastes, and identified as a bacterium belonging to the genus of Brevibacillus based on colony morphology and 16S rDNA phylogenetic analysis. Brevibacillus sp. P10 was capable of degrading 71.4% of waterborne polyurethane (Impranil DLN) after 6 days growth in MSM medium with DLN as a sole carbon source. In addition, strain P10 can use commercial PUR foam as the sole carbon source for growth. Brevibacillus sp. P10 can degrade 50 mg PUR foam after 6 days growth in MSM medium supplemented with 5% (V/V) LB after optimization of degradation conditions. This indicates that Brevibacillus sp. P10 has potential to be used in biodegradation of PUR waste.
Bacteria ; Biodegradation, Environmental ; Phylogeny ; Polyurethanes

To investigate the postoperative serum triglyceride (TG) levels in predicting the risk of new-onset diabetes mellitus (NODM) in patients following allogeneic liver transplantation. One hundred and forty three patients undergoing allogeneic liver transplantation in Shanghai General Hospital from July 2007 to July 2014 were enrolled in this study. The NODM developed in 33 patients after liver transplantation. The curve of dynamic TG levels in the early period after liver transplantation was generated. Independent risk factors of NODM were determined by univariate and multivariant logistic regression analyses. The clinical value of TG in predicting NODM was analyzed by area under the ROC curve (AUC). Serum TG levels were gradually rising in the first week and then reached the plateau phase (stable TG, sTG) in patients after surgery. The sTG in NODM group were significantly higher than that in non-NODM group (=-2.31, <0.05). Glucocorticoid therapy (=4.054, <0.01), FK506 drug concentration in the first week after operation (=3.482, <0.05) and sTG (=3.156, <0.05) were independent risk factors of NODM. ROC curve analysis showed that the AUC of sTG in predicting NODM was 0.72. TG shows a gradual recovery process in the early period after liver transplantation, and the higher TG level in stable phase may significantly increase the risk of NODM in patients.
China/epidemiology* ; Diabetes Mellitus/etiology* ; Humans ; Liver Transplantation/adverse effects* ; Risk Factors ; Tacrolimus/adverse effects* ; Triglycerides

Consolidated bioprocessing (CBP) is a multi-step process in a bioreactor, which completes hydrolase production, enzymatic hydrolysis, and microbial fermentation. It is considered to be the most promising process for the production of second-generation biofuels because of its simple steps and low cost. Due to the complexity of lignocellulose degradation and the butanol synthesis pathway, few wild microorganisms can directly utilize lignocellulose to synthesize butanol. With the development of synthetic biology, single-bacterium directly synthesizes butanol using lignocellulose by introducing a butanol synthesis pathway in the cellulolytic Clostridium. However, there are still some problems such as heavy metabolic load of single bacterium and low butanol yield. Co-culture can relieve the metabolic burden of single bacterium through the division of labor in different strains and can further improve the efficiency of butanol synthesis. This review analyzes the recent research progress in the synthesis of biobutanol using lignocellulose by consolidated bioprocessing from both the single-bacterium strategy and co-culture strategy, to provide a reference for the research of butanol and other biofuels.
1-Butanol ; Biofuels ; Butanols ; Fermentation ; Lignin/metabolism*