⁶³Ni is predominantly generated through neutron activation in nuclear reactors and is classified as a pure beta-emitting radionuclide with a half-life of 101.1 a. During decay, ⁶³Ni emits a beta ray with an energy of 65.87 keV. ⁶³Ni can be used in the manufacture of beta radiation sources, which are utilized as reference and working sources for beta activity measurement and beta energy response calibration. Additionally, it is used in electron capture detectors for chromatography, ionization sources in electron tubes, and electron capture probes in gas chromatography. These instruments have extensive applications in food safety, public health and epidemic prevention, soil pollution monitoring, and security. ⁶³Ni is an artificial radionuclide not commonly found in the natural environment under normal conditions. However, the ⁶³Ni generated during routine operations of nuclear power plants, as well as residual materials and wastes contaminated with ⁶³Ni during plant decommissioning, may be released into the environment through liquid effluents or solid wastes. This can pose potential radiation risks to both the public and the environment. Hence, it is necessary to monitor the activity concentration of ⁶³Ni. Currently, reports on this subject are limited in China, and there is a lack of established standards for the determination of ⁶³Ni in nuclear power plants. This article reviews the global literature on the pretreatment and purification measurement processes of ⁶³Ni. The merits and demerits are summarized for pretreatment methods such as acid leaching, mixed acid digestion, ashing acid leaching/dissolution, and alkali fusion, and for separation and purification methods like solvent extraction, precipitation, and extraction chromatography. The article also highlights the advantages of measurement using liquid scintillation counters. This review provides a reference for the establishment of the determination method of ⁶³Ni in liquid effluents and solid wastes from nuclear power plants.

Astrocytes are the largest glial population in the mammalian brain. However, we have a minimal understanding of astrocyte development, especially fate specification in different regions of the brain. Through lineage tracing of the progenitors of the third ventricle (3V) wall via in-utero electroporation in the embryonic mouse brain, we show the fate specification and migration pattern of astrocytes derived from radial glia along the 3V wall. Unexpectedly, radial glia located in different regions along the 3V wall of the diencephalon produce distinct cell types: radial glia in the upper region produce astrocytes and those in the lower region produce neurons in the diencephalon. With genetic fate mapping analysis, we reveal that the first population of astrocytes appears along the zona incerta in the diencephalon. Astrogenesis occurs at an early time point in the dorsal region relative to that in the ventral region of the developing diencephalon. With transcriptomic analysis of the region-specific 3V wall and lateral ventricle (LV) wall, we identified cohorts of differentially-expressed genes in the dorsal 3V wall compared to the ventral 3V wall and LV wall that may regulate astrogenesis in the dorsal diencephalon. Together, these results demonstrate that the generation of astrocytes shows a spatiotemporal pattern in the developing mouse diencephalon.
Mice ; Animals ; Astrocytes ; Neuroglia/physiology* ; Diencephalon ; Brain ; Neurons ; Mammals

Lung cancer is the top cause of cancer deaths globally.Advances in immune checkpoint inhibitors(ICIs)have transformed cancer treatment,but their use in lung cancer has led to more side effects.This study examined if past pulmonary tuberculosis(TB)affects ICIs'effectiveness and safety in lung cancer treatment.We reviewed lung cancer patients treated with ICIs at Beijing Chest Hospital from January 2019 to August 2022.We compared outcomes and side effects between patients with and without prior TB.Of 116 patients(40 with TB history,76 without),prior TB didn't reduce treatment effectiveness but did increase severe side effects.Notably,older patients(≥65 years)faced a higher risk of severe side effects.Detailed cases of two patients with severe side effects underscored TB as a risk factor in lung cancer patients receiving ICIs,stressing the need for careful monitoring and personalized care.

Objective To explore the mediating effect of facial emotion recognition on prosocial behavior of medical students in mask-obscured scenes.Methods Fifty-three medical students from a medical university in Chongqing were enrolled from July to September 2023 to complete the facial emotion recognition task,the dictator gaming task and the state empathy test.Spearman correlation analysis was used to examine the correlation between mask wearing and state empathy,trait empathy and prosocial behaviours,and the PROCESS procedure was used to test the mediation of state empathy and the moderating effect of mask wearing or not.Results ①mask wearing,state empathy and prosocial behaviour were significantly correlated(P＜0.01);② State empathy exerted mediated effect between facial emotion recognition and prosocial behavior,with the largest effect size(47％)for the relative mediating effect of sadness;③The interaction terms of facial emotion recognition and mask wearing had a significant effect on state empathy(P＜0.05).Conclusion Facial emotion recognition can influence prosocial behavior directly and also exert indirect effect on prosocial behavior through state empathy.Compared to the condition without mask wearing,mask wearing can significantly facilitate the effect of happy,sad and neutral emotions on state empathy.

Objective To investigate the effects of intraoperative fraction of inspiration oxygen(FiO2)30%and 80%on pulmonary function after laparoscopic radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer in elderly patients.Methods Sixty elderly patients,aged≥65 years,BMI 18-30 kg/m2,ASA physical sta-tus Ⅱ or Ⅲ,underwent elective laparoscopic radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer were selected.The patients were divided into two groups:the FiO2 30%group(group L)and the FiO2 80%group(group H),30 patients in each group.After tracheal intubation,the patients were manoeuvred,and inhaled oxygen con-centration was adjusted by 30%until the removal of the tracheal tube in group L.In group H,inhaled oxy-gen concentration was adjusted by 80%until the removal of the tracheal tube.HR and MAP were recorded 5 minutes after admission(T0),1 hour after the start of surgery(T1),2 hours after the start of surgery(T2),and 30 minutes after extubation(T3),arterial blood gas analysis was performed to record PaO2 and PaCO2,and the oxygenation index(OI)was calculated.Electrical impedance tomography(EIT)monitoring was performed at T0 and T3 to assess the pulmonary ventilation function,and the percentage of the area of the central ventilation zone(CoV),dependent static zone(DSS),and non-dependent static zone(NSS)were recorded.Exertional expiratory volume in the first second(forecd expirtory volume in the first second,FEV1),exertional lung capacity(forecdvital cipitory,FVC),and 1-second rate(FEV1/FVC)were meas-ured on preoperative day 1,postoperative day 1,postoperative day 3 and postoperative day 5.The occur-rence of pulmonary complications such as atelectasis,respiratory infection,and pleural effusion within 5 days postoperatively were recorded.Results Compared with group H,the percentage of DSS area at T3 was significantly decreased(P＜0.05),PaO2 and OI were significantly increased(P＜0.05),FVC,FEV1,and FEV1/FVC on postoperative day 1 were significantly increased(P＜0.05),FEV1/FVC on postopera-tive day 3 was significantly increased(P＜0.05),the incidence of cumulative pulmonary atelectasis was significantly decreased in group L within 5 days postoperatively(P＜0.05).Conclusion Compared with FiO2 80%,FiO2 30%intraoperatively significantly improves pulmonary ventilation and oxygenation 30 mi-nutes after laparoscopic radical prostatectomy with early postoperative lung function in elderly patients,and reduces postoperative pulmonary atelectasis.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of modified Xiaoyao powder for postpartum depression (PPD) by conducting a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Methods: The Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure Databases (CNKI), the Chinese Scientific Journals Database (VIP), Wanfang, Google Scholar, the SinoMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and PubMed databases were searched from their inception to April 25, 2023. The Cochrane Risk of Bias tool was used to assess the quality of the trials. We applied the risk ratio to present dichotomous data and the mean difference to present continuous data. Data with similar characteristics were pooled for meta-analysis and heterogeneity was assessed using I2. Results: This review included 35 trials involving 2848 participants. The quality of the included studies was low (unclear randomization processes and insufficient reporting of blinding). Participants treated with modified Xiaoyao powder plus Western medicine showed lower Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) depression score than those who used Western medicine alone (mean difference = −2.15; 95% confidence interval:−2.52 to 1.78; P < .00001), and higher effective rate (relative risk = 1.19; 95% confidence interval: 1.15 to 1.24; P < .00001), When comparing modified Xiaoyao alone with Western medicine, the HAMD depression score remained low, however, the efficacy rate was higher in the modified Xiaoyao group. Regarding adverse events, the modified Xiaoyao group reported weight gain, nausea, and diarrhea, but no severe adverse events were reported. Conclusion Modified Xiaoyao may help relieve depression in PPD when used alone or in combination with Western medicine, with minor side effects. Therefore, future high-quality, large-sample size RCTs are warranted.