Objective To investigate the effect of dioscin on uric acid(UA)-induced oxidative stress injury of human renal tubular epithelial cells(HK-2)and its molecular mechanism.Methods HK-2 cells were cultured and divided into four groups:blank group(normal group),model group(uric acid-stimulation modeling),condition control group(UA+DMSO)and dioscin group(UA+dioscin).Oxidative stress injury model was induced by UA in HK-2 cells.Cells viability was detected by CCK-8.ROS level was detected by flow cytometry.Real-time PCR was used to detect the expressions of glycogen synthase kinase 3β(GSK3β),nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf2)and heme oxygenase 1(HO-1)at mRNA level,and Western Blot was used to detect the expressions of phosphorylated glycogen synthesis kinase 3β(p-GSK3β),GSK3β,Nrf2 and HO-1 at protein level.Results After stimulation by UA,HK-2 cells viability was obviously decreased,and ROS level was significantly increased(all P＜0.001).When treated with dioscin,HK-2 cells viability was obviously increased,and the ROS level of HK-2 cells was significantly decreased(all P＜0.001).The expressions of Nrf2 and HO-1 decreased at the protein and mRNA levels after stimulation with UA.But the expressions of Nrf2 and HO-1 significantly increased after treated with dioscin(all P＜0.001).Compared with the blank group,the p-GSK3β/GSK3β ratio in the model group decreased significantly at the protein level,but the p-GSK3β/GSK3β ratio increased after treated with dioscin(all P＜0.001).Conclusion Dioscin can alleviate UA-induced oxidative stress injury in HK-2 cells.The mechanism might be that dioscin can promote phosphorylation of GSK3β,and activate Nrf2/HO-1 pathway.

Objective:To understand the current status and its associated factors of dual use of e-cigarettes and cigarettes among adolescents in Shandong Province and explore the reasons for dual use behavior.Methods:A self-administered survey was conducted among 7 999 middle school students who were selected by stratified multi-stage cluster sample method. Data were weighted and analyzed by the SPSS 25.0 complex program.Results:In Shandong Province, the prevalence rates of attempting and current dual use of e-cigarettes and cigarettes among adolescents appeared as 7.7% and 1.3%, respectively. Male, friends smoking, and secondhand smoke exposure in the past 7 days were risk factors for dual use. Compared with cigarette smokers, dual users have no differences in cognition and behavior in quitting smoking ( P>0.05). The main reason for dual users to smoke e-cigarettes was curiosity. Conclusions:Dual use of e-cigarettes and cigarettes is common among adolescents in Shandong Province, and its influencing factors are similar to traditional cigarettes. Dual use is not a transitional stage for smoking cessation. Dual users are more likely to continue smoking in the future, which should be paid attention and concern.

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

Objective:To analyze the laboratory detection methods and clinical characteristics of patients with 2019-nCoV Omicron variant infection, to realize the rapid identification and diagnosis of 2019-nCoV Omicron variants.Methods:Totally 80 overseas patients in First Hospital of Changsha from December 16 in 2021 to January 5 in 2022 were selected, the nucleic acids and mutant genes were detected by fluorescent PCR and genome sequencing, and the clinical characteristics of patients with 2019-nCoV Omicron variant infection were analyzed.Results:The specificity was 100% (58/58) and positive predictive value was 100% (21/21) respectively, the sensitivity was 95.5% (21/22), negative predictive value was 98.3% (58/59) by detected with fluorescent PCR. It was found that there were 45-50 nucleotide displacement sites in the genome and 25-30 amino acid mutation sites in S gene fragment by genome sequencing. Clinical analysis showed that mild cases were 59.1% (13/22) in layouts, without severe and critical cases. Ages were positively associated with the clinical classification (ρ=0.698, P<0.001), foundation infections were positively associated with the clinical classification (ρ=0.636, P<0.001). Conclusions:Patients with 2019-nCoV Omicron variant infection had a high viral load and long negative conversion time of nucleic acid. Ages and foundation infections were positively associated with the clinical classification. AST/ALT was higher in the early stage of the disease. Fluorescent PCR method can be used in rapid screening patients with 2019-nCoV Omicron variant infection.

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

Objective:To summarize the clinical characteristics of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infected with Delta variant, so as to provide further references for clinical diagnosis and treatment.Methods:A real-world study was conducted to analyze the characteristics of 166 COVID-19 patients infected with Delta variant at Guangzhou Eighth People’s Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University.Results:The study enrolled 5 asymptomatic cases, 123 non-severe cases (mild and moderate type), and 38 severe cases (severe and critical type). Among these patients, 69 (41.6%) were male and 97 (58.4%) were female, with a mean age of 47.0±23.5 years. Thirty-nine cases (23.5%) had received 1 or 2 doses of inactivated vaccine. The incidence of severe COVID-19 cases was 7.7% in 2-doses vaccinated patients, which was lower than that of 11.5% in 1-dose and 26.8% in unvaccinated patients. The proportion of severe cases in 2 dose-vaccinated patients was 7.7%, which was lower than that of 11.5% in 1-dose vaccinated patients and 26.8% in unvaccinated patients, but the difference was not significant ( P>0.05). The most common clinical symptom was fever (134 cases, 83.2%), and 39.1% of cases presented with high-grade fever (≥39 °C); other symptoms were cough, sputum, fatigue, and xerostomia. The proportion of fever in severe cases was significantly higher than that of non-severe cases (97.4% vs. 76.4%, P<0.01). Similarly, the proportion of severe cases with high peak temperature (≥39 ℃) () was also higher than that of non-severe cases (65.8% vs. 30.9%, P<0.01). The median minimal Cycle threshold (Ct) values of viral nucleic acid N gene and ORFlab gene were 20.3 and 21.5, respectively, and the minimum Ct values were 11.9 and 13.5, respectively. Within 48 h of admission, 9.0% of cases presented with decreased white blood cell counts, and 52.4% with decreased lymphocyte counts. The proportions of increased C-reactive protein, serum amyloid A, interleukin 6, and interleukin 10 were 32.5%, 57.4%, 65.3%, and 35.7%, respectively. The proportions of elevated C-reactive protein, serum amyloid A and interleukin-6 in severe cases were significantly higher than those in non-severe cases ( P<0.01). Logistic regression analysis showed that older age and higher peak temperature were associated with a higher likelihood of severe cases ( OR>3, 95% CI: 2-7, P<0.01). In terms of treatment, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) was used in 97.6% of non-severe cases and 100% in severe cases. Other treatments included respiratory and nutritional support, immunotherapy (such as neutralizing antibodies and plasma of recovered patients). The median times from admission to progression to severe cases, of fever clearance, and of nucleic acid conversion were 5 days, 6 days and 19 days, respectively. No deaths were reported within 28 days. Conclusions:The symptoms of Delta variant infection in Guangzhou are characterized by a high proportion of fever, high peak temperature, long duration of fever, high viral load, a long time to nucleic acid conversion, and a high incidence of severe cases. The severe cases exhibit a higher percentage of elderly patients, a longer duration of fever and have a higher fever rate and a higher hyperthermia rate than non-severe cases. Age and hyperthermia are independent risk factors for progression to severe disease. The combination of TCM and Western medicine can control the progression of the disease effectively.

Objective:To explore the resistance of common clinical isolates to chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) and the clinical characteristics of patients with the infections.Methods:A total of 1 000 isolates from the First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University in 2018 (from January to May) were collected, which included 200 strains each of Escherichia coli ( E. coli), Acinetobacter baumanii ( A. baumanii), Pseudomonas aeruginosa ( P. aeruginosa), Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus), and Enterococcus spp.. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of CHG against 1 000 isolates were determined by the agar dilution method. The correlation between the resistance of isolates and clinical characteristics of infected patients was analyzed. Chi-square test or Fisher exact probability test were used for statistical analysis. Results:A total of 57 CHG resistant strains were detected in 1 000 clinical isolates. These CHG-resistant strains were mainly isolated from sputum and intensive care unit ward, accounting for 49.1%(28/57)and 38.6%(22/57), respectively. The resistance rates of P. aeruginosa, A. baumanii, Enterococcus spp., S. aureus, and E. coli to CHG were 16.0%(32/200), 7.0%(14/200), 3.0%(6/200), 1.5%(3/200) and 1.0%(2/200), respectively. The CHG-resistant rates of P. aeruginosa to ceftazidime, ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin and gentamicin were 53.1%(17/32), 78.1%(25/32), 65.6%(21/32) and 50.0%(16/32), respectively, which were all higher than those of CHG-sensitive P. aeruginosa (25.0%(8/32), 25.0%(8/32), 21.9%(7/32) and 15.6%(5/32), respectively), with statistical significance ( χ2=5.317, 18.080, 12.444 and 8.576, respectively, all P<0.05). The hospital mortality was 22.8%(13/57) in patients infected with CHG-resistant bacteria, which was higher than that in patients infected with CHG-sensitive bacteria ((7.0%(4/57); Fisher exact probability test, P=0.018)). CHG-resistant group had a higher history of CHG exposure and antimicrobial treatment (61.4%(35/57) and 70.2%(40/57), respectively), which were both higher than those with CHG-susceptible isolates (17.5%(10/57) and 47.4%(27/57), respectively), the differences were both statistically significant ( χ2=22.947 and 6.118, respectively, both P<0.05). In addition, the multi-drug resistance rate of CHG-resistant strains was 54.4%(31/57), which was higher than that of CHG-susceptible strains (35.1%(20/57)), the difference was statistically significant ( χ2=4.293, P=0.039). Conclusions:CHG resistant strains have higher antimicrobial resistance. Hospital mortality in patients infected with CHG-resistant bacteria is higher than patients infected with CHG-sensitive bacteria. The important risk factors are CHG exposure and antimicrobial therapy.

Sex reversal, representing extraordinary sexual plasticity during the life cycle, not only triggers reproduction in animals but also affects reproductive and endocrine system-related diseases and cancers in humans. Sex reversal has been broadly reported in animals; however, an integrated resource hub of sex reversal information is still lacking. Here, we constructed a comprehensive database named ASER (Animal Sex Reversal) by integrating sex reversal-related data of 18 species from teleostei to mammalia. We systematically collected 40,018 published papers and mined the sex reversal-associated genes (SRGs), including their regulatory networks, from 1611 core papers. We annotated homologous genes and computed conservation scores for whole genomes across the 18 species. Furthermore, we collected available RNA-seq datasets and investigated the expression dynamics of SRGs during sex reversal or sex determination processes. In addition, we manually annotated 550 in situ hybridization (ISH), fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and im-munohistochemistry (IHC) images of SRGs from the literature and described their spatial expression in the gonads. Collectively, ASER provides a unique and integrated resource for researchers to query and reuse organized data to explore the mechanisms and applications of SRGs in animal breeding and human health. The ASER database is publicly available at http://aser.ihb.ac.cn/.