The microalga incorporated photobioreactor is a highly efficient biological system for converting CO₂ into biomass. Using microalgal photobioreactor as CO₂ mitigation system is a practical approach ...for elimination of waste gas from the CO₂ emission. In this study, the marine microalga Chlorella sp. was cultured in a photobioreactor to assess biomass, lipid productivity and CO₂ reduction. We also determined the effects of cell density and CO₂ concentration on the growth of Chlorella sp. During an 8-day interval cultures in the semicontinuous cultivation, the specific growth rate and biomass of Chlorella sp. cultures in the conditions aerated 2-15% CO₂ were 0.58-0.66d⁻¹ and 0.76-0.87gL⁻¹, respectively. At CO₂ concentrations of 2%, 5%, 10% and 15%, the rate of CO₂ reduction was 0.261, 0.316, 0.466 and 0.573gh⁻¹, and efficiency of CO₂ removal was 58%, 27%, 20% and 16%, respectively. The efficiency of CO₂ removal was similar in the single photobioreactor and in the six-parallel photobioreactor. However, CO₂ reduction, production of biomass, and production of lipid were six times greater in the six-parallel photobioreactor than those in the single photobioreactor. In conclusion, inhibition of microalgal growth cultured in the system with high CO₂ (10-15%) aeration could be overcome via a high-density culture of microalgal inoculum that was adapted to 2% CO₂. Moreover, biological reduction of CO₂ in the established system could be parallely increased using the photobioreactor consisting of multiple units.
Fibroblast growth factor (FGF) 5 is a member of the FGF family that functions as a regulator of tissue growth and regeneration. Aberrant FGF5 expression has been previously associated with the ...progression of a number of different malignancies. However, its potential role in oral cancer remains unclear. In this study, we explored the relationship between the expression of FGF5 protein in oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCCs) and the clinicopathological parameters of OSCCs and whether the expression of FGF5 protein in OSCCs could be a prognostic factor for OSCC patients.
The FGF5 protein expression was examined in 64 OSCC and 34 normal oral mucosal specimens by immunohistochemical staining. Stress induced upregulation and intracellular redistribution of FGF5 were verified using xenograft animal model and OSCC cell lines.
The mean FGF5 protein labelling index was significantly higher in OSCC than in normal oral mucosal samples, with high FGF5 protein labelling index (>58%) being correlated with advanced stage and poor survival of OSCC patients. Apart from the peri-cytoplasmic staining pattern characteristic of paracrine growth factors, FGF5 protein was localized as distinct punctate structures in the cytoplasm of advanced stage or stressed-induced cells. This redistribution and upregulation of FGF5 protein could be sustained after termination of the stress induction in cell line and xenograft animal models.
FGF5 can be induced by cellular stress and risk factors of OSCC, where high expression levels of FGF5 is potentially a useful parameter for predicting OSCC progression and patient survival.
To develop, validate, and deploy models for predicting delirium in critically ill adult patients as early as upon intensive care unit (ICU) admission.
Retrospective cohort study.
Single university ...teaching hospital in Taipei, Taiwan.
6238 critically ill patients from August 2020 to August 2021.
Data were extracted, pre-processed, and split into training and testing datasets based on the time period. Eligible variables included demographic characteristics, Glasgow Coma Scale, vital signs parameters, treatments, and laboratory data. The predicted outcome was delirium, defined as any positive result (a score ≥ 4) of the Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist that was assessed by primary care nurses in each 8-h shift within 48 h after ICU admission. We trained models to predict delirium upon ICU admission (ADM) and at 24 h (24H) after ICU admission by using logistic regression (LR), gradient boosted trees (GBT), and deep learning (DL) algorithms and compared the models' performance.
Eight features were extracted from the eligible features to train the ADM models, including age, body mass index, medical history of dementia, postoperative intensive monitoring, elective surgery, pre-ICU hospital stays, and GCS score and initial respiratory rate upon ICU admission. In the ADM testing dataset, the incidence of ICU delirium occurred within 24 h and 48 h was 32.9% and 36.2%, respectively. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) (0.858, 95% CI 0.835–0.879) and area under the precision-recall curve (AUPRC) (0.814, 95% CI 0.780–0.844) for the ADM GBT model were the highest. The Brier scores of the ADM LR, GBT, and DL models were 0.149, 0.140, and 0.145, respectively. The AUROC (0.931, 95% CI 0.911–0.949) was the highest for the 24H DL model and the AUPRC (0.842, 95% CI 0.792–0.886) was the highest for the 24H LR model.
Our early prediction models based on data obtained upon ICU admission could achieve good performance in predicting delirium occurred within 48 h after ICU admission. Our 24-h models can improve delirium prediction for patients discharged >1 day after ICU admission.
•A certain proportion of critically ill patients develop delirium within the first 24h after ICU admission.•Traditional delirium prediction models make a prediction time of 24h after ICU admission cannot predict early delirium.•Developing machine learning model to predict delirium upon ICU admission is crucial for early intervention.•Make a second prediction at 24h after ICU admission can improve the prediction of delirium occurred after 24h.
Abstract
In 2018, the Greenland Telescope (GLT) started scientific observation in Greenland. Since then, we have completed several significant improvements and added new capabilities to the telescope ...system. This paper presents a full review of the GLT system, a summary of our observation activities since 2018, the lessons learned from the operations in the Arctic regions, and the prospect of the telescope.
Early exposure to formula milk increases the likelihood of cow's milk sensitization and food allergies in the later childhood. However, the underlying mechanisms are multifactorial and unclear. ...Fifty-five children from a follow-up birth cohort study were grouped into exclusive breastfeeding (EBF,
= 33) and formula feeding (EFF,
= 22) in the first six months of life. Urinary metabolites were longitudinally assessed and analyzed at 6 months, 1, and 2 years of age using
H-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Integrated analysis of metabolic profiling associated with formula feeding and milk sensitization related to IgE reactions was also investigated. Twenty-two metabolites were significantly obtained in the EFF set at age 0.5, whereas nine metabolites were predominantly obtained in the milk sensitization set at age 1. A subsequent analysis of metabolic change from 6 months to age 1 identified eight metabolites, including 3-methyl-2-oxovaleric acid, glutarate, lysine, N-phenylacetylglycine, N,N-dimethylglycine, 3-indoxysulfate, 2-oxoglutaric acid, and pantothenate associated with formula feeding and milk sensitization with same trend variation. Among them, 3-indoxysulfate, N-phenylacetylglycine, and N,N-dimethylglycine were gut microbial-derived without IgE association. By contrast, 3-methyl-2-oxovaleric acid, glutarate, and lysine were IgE related associated with formula feeding contributing to milk sensitization (
< 0.05). Longitudinal urinary metabolomic analysis provides molecular insight into the mechanism of formula feeding associated with milk sensitization. Gut microbial-derived metabolites associated with formula feeding and IgE associated metabolites related to branched-chain amino acid metabolism play roles in developing sensitization and allergic symptoms in response to formula feeding.
Hereditary sensory and autonomic neuropathy type 4 (HSAN4), also known as congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis (CIPA), is a rare genetic disorder caused by NTRK1 gene mutations, affecting ...nerve growth factor signaling. This study investigates the central nervous system's (CNS) involvement and its relation to pain insensitivity in HSAN4. We present a 15-year-old girl with HSAN4, displaying clinical signs suggestive of CNS impact, including spasticity and a positive Babinski's sign. Using Technetium-99m ethyl cysteinate dimer single-photon emission computed tomography (Tc-99m ECD SPECT) imaging, we discovered perfusion deficits in key brain regions, notably the cerebellum, thalamus, and postcentral gyrus. These regions process pain signals, providing insights into HSAN4's pain insensitivity. This study represents the first visualization of CNS perfusion abnormality in an HSAN4 patient. It highlights the intricate relationship between the peripheral and central nervous systems in HSAN4. The complexity of HSAN4 diagnosis, involving potential unidentified genes, underscores the need for continued research to refine diagnostic approaches and develop comprehensive treatments.
The research investigated the prevalence of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) during the COVID-19 outbreak and identified the psychosocial risk factors among junior high school students in Taiwan. ...Cross-sectional design was applied and 1,060 participants (Mage = 14.66, SD = 0.86 years) were recruited into the study. The prevalence of NSSI was found to be 40.9% (95% confidence interval, 37.9%-43.9%) during the COVID-19 outbreak. The results suggested that the self-injurers group were mostly female, and scored significantly higher in neuroticism, depression, impulsivity, alexithymia, virtual social support, dissatisfaction with academic performance, and lower in subjective wellbeing, self-esteem, actual social support, and family function than the non-injurers group. In addition, high neuroticism, low self-esteem, high virtual social support, high impulsivity, and high alexithymia were independently predictive in the logistic regression analysis. The principal results of this study suggested that NSSI was extremely prevalent among adolescents during the COVID-19 outbreak, and in particularly, personality and virtual environment risk factors and enhancing self-esteem should be the focus of NSSI preventive strategies when targeting this age population. Our results provide a reference towards designing NSSI prevention programs geared toward the high school population during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Extracellular matrix has an important part of the role in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, so it is necessary to understand the various interactions between cells and extracellular ...matrix. Type II collagen and hyaluronic acid are the major structural components of the extracellular matrix of articular cartilage, and they are involved in fibril formation, entanglement and binding. The aim of this study was to prepare type II collagen fibrils with surface grafted with hyaluronic acid modified at the reducing end. The topographic pattern of type II collagen fibrils showed a significant change after the surface coupling of hyaluronic acid according to atomic force microscopy scanning. The presence of hyaluronic acid on the type II collagen fibrillar surface was confirmed by the specific binding of nanogold labelled with lectin. No significant increase in cell proliferation was detected by a WST-1 assay. According to histochemical examination, the maintenance of the round shape of chondrocytes and increased glycosaminoglycan secretion revealed that these cell pellets with Col II-g-hyaluronic acid molecules contained un-dedifferentiated chondrocytes in vitro. In the mixture with the 220-kDa Col II-g-hyaluronic acid copolymer, the expression of type II collagen and aggrecan genes in chondrocytes increased as demonstrated by real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis. Experimental results show that the amount of hyaluronic acid added during culturing of chondrocytes can maintain the functionality of chondrocytes and thus allow for increased cell proliferation that is suitable for tissue repair of human cartilage.
In this study, polyurethane was blended with silica aerogel to improve its thermal insulation property. The silica aerogel/polyurethane composite with a suitable composition 35/65 (v/v) has low ...thermal conductivity (0.13 W/m K) and a hydrophobic property (water contact angle of 95.6°). The pore size, pore distribution, and structure of silica aerogel (tetraethoxysilane-based) were studied to select the suitable silica aerogel for blending. The co-precursor method and the solvent exchange method were used to prepare the silica aerogel for comparison. Fourier Transform Infrared spectra confirmed that the co-precursor method created more Si-CH
3
groups on the silica surface than solvent exchange method. The silica aerogel prepared by the co-precursor method had a thermal conductivity of 0.032 W/m K with a porosity of 97 %, and a water contact angle of 130°. This silica aerogel prepared was then used to blend with the polyurethane prepared by diisocyanate and poly (tetramethylene oxide), with 1,4-butanediol (1,4-BD) as the chain extender. Silica aerogel/polyurethane composites were formed as films of various compositions by the solvent casting method. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) photographs revealed that the composites were uniform. The optimal composition of silica aerogel/polyurethane is 35/65 (v/v) with the water contact angle of 95.6° and the thermal conductivity 0.13 W/m K. The silica aerogel/polyurethane composites have no disadvantages of brittleness and hygroscopic property, and possess a low thermal conductivity property.
Matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9), a member of MMP family, is involved in many physiological processes, including cardiovascular disease (CVD). Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is considered a ...cytokine with pleiotropic biological capabilities and leads to the process of CVD when TNF-α is abnormally released and stimulates MMP-9 expression and activation. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanism of TNF-α-regulated MMP-9 expression. The experimental results confirm that TNF-α could upregulate MMP-9 expression in heart myoblast H9c2 cells of rat. To evaluate the MMP-9 regulation at transcriptional level, a DNA fragment of 2.2 kb (−2168/+18) of human
mmp-9
promoter region was cloned and constructed in a vector of luciferase reporter gene. The 2.2-kb sequences were identified as having three candidate nuclear factor-κ B (NF-κB) binding sites: NF-κB I (−1418/−1409), NF-κB II (−626/−617), and NF-κB III (−353/−345). A series of reporter vectors with the mutated NF-κB sites of
mmp-9
promoter sequences were constructed and transfected into H9c2 cells. The results show that the NF-κB II binding site (−626/−617) within the promoter region of
mmp-9
plays a key role in upregulation of
mmp-9
expression by TNF-α induction. In addition, we also first identified that the NF-κB I, similar to c-Rel, might be one of the NF-κB families to regulate
mmp-9
expression.
PDF
