The relaxation of restrictions on Chinese Spring Festival (SF) firework displays in certain regions has raised concerns due to intensive emissions exacerbating air quality deterioration. To evaluate ...the impacts of fireworks on air quality, a comparative investigation was conducted in a city between 2022 (restricted fireworks) and 2023 SF (unrestricted), utilizing high time-resolution field observations of particle chemical components and air quality model simulations. We observed two severe PM2.5 pollution episodes primarily triggered by firework emissions and exacerbated by static meteorology (contributing approximately 30%) during 2023 SF, contrasting with its absence in 2022. During firework displays, freshly emitted particles containing more primary inorganics (such as chloride and metals like Al, Mg, and Ba), elemental carbon, and organic compounds (including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) were predominant; subsequently, aged particles with more secondary components became prevalent and continued to worsen air quality. The primary emissions from fireworks constituted 54% of the observed high PM2.5 during the displays, contributing a peak hourly PM2.5 concentration of 188 μg/m3 and representing over 70% of the ambient PM2.5. This study underscores that caution should be exercised when igniting substantial fireworks under stable meteorological conditions, considering both the primary and potential secondary effects.
Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is one of the most aggressive and lethal cancers. Surgical resection is the only curable treatment option, but it is available for only a small fraction of patients ...at the time of diagnosis. With current therapeutic regimens, the average 5-year survival rate is less than 10% in pancreatic cancer patients. Immunotherapy has emerged as one of the most promising treatment options for multiple solid tumors of advanced stage. However, its clinical efficacy is suboptimal in most clinical trials on pancreatic cancer. Current studies have suggested that the tumor microenvironment is likely the underlying barrier affecting immunotherapy drug efficacy in pancreatic cancer. In this review, we discuss the role of the tumor microenvironment in pancreatic cancer and the latest advances in immunotherapy on pancreatic cancer.
Significance. With an alarming increase in recent years, diabetes mellitus has become a global challenge. Despite advances in treatment of diabetes mellitus, currently, medications available are ...unable to control the progression of diabetes and its complications. Growing evidence suggests that inflammation is an important pathogenic mediator in the development of diabetes mellitus. The perspectives including suggestions for new therapies involving the shift from metabolic stress to inflammation should be taken into account. Critical Issues. High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1), a nonhistone nuclear protein regulating gene expression, was rediscovered as an endogenous danger signal molecule to trigger inflammatory responses when released into extracellular milieu in the late 1990s. Given the similarities of inflammatory response in the development of T2D, we will discuss the potential implication of HMGB1 in the pathogenesis of T2D. Importantly, we will summarize and renovate the role of HMGB1 and HMGB1-mediated inflammatory pathways in adipose tissue inflammation, insulin resistance, and islet dysfunction. Future Directions. HMGB1 and its downstream receptors RAGE and TLRs may serve as potential antidiabetic targets. Current and forthcoming projects in this territory will pave the way for prospective approaches targeting the center of HMGB1-mediated inflammation to improve T2D and its complications.
Adrenal gland hormones play a critical role in the development and maintenance of hypertension. Adrenal ablation has been used to treat primary aldosteronism but not essential hypertension. The ...present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness and safety of unilateral adrenal gland ablation in treating spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). SHR and Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) were subjected to unilateral adrenal ablation with injection of anhydrous ethanol or a sham procedure. Blood pressure was monitored by both tail-cuff plethysmography and telemetry until 6 months after the procedure. Adrenal ablation significantly lowered systolic and diastolic blood pressure of the SHR (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01) but not WKY from 4 to 24 weeks after the procedure. Adrenal ablation substantially damaged adrenal cortex and medulla with fibrosis in SHR and WKY rats. The ablation procedure remarkably reduced the levels of renin, angiotensin II, aldosterone, cortisol, noradrenaline, and epinephrine in SHR (all P < 0.05) but not in WKY. Hypokalemia in SHR was significantly improved by adrenal ablation (P < 0.05), while the serum sodium levels were not affected by adrenal ablation in either SHR or WKY rats. Additionally, adrenal ablation improved cardiac, renal, and vascular remodeling and function measured 3 months after the procedure in SHR. In conclusion, the present study shows that ethanol ablation of adrenal gland can effectively lower blood pressure and prevent target organ damage in SHR. These findings suggest that unilateral debulking of the adrenal gland using ethanol ablation is a promising therapeutic strategy for treating hypertension.
Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) were subjected to unilateral adrenal ablation with injection of ethanol or a sham procedure. Blood pressure was monitored for 24 weeks.
Adrenal ablation significantly lowered systolic and diastolic blood pressure of SHR but not WKY from 4 to 24 weeks after the procedure.
Unilateral debulking of the adrenal gland using ethanol ablation is a promising therapeutic strategy for treating hypertension.
Frequent exchange of surface water and groundwater occurs in arid/semi-arid areas due to high evaporation and intensive irrigation activities, affecting the migration and transformation of per- and ...polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) and threatening drinking water safety. This study analyzed legacy PFASs and potential precursors in surface water, groundwater, soil, and aquifer solid samples collected from a typical arid area, the Hetao Irrigation District of Northern China, to explore PFASs distribution and transformation between surface and ground. Total PFASs (ΣPFASs) in surface water was 29–232 ng/L, higher than 2–77 ng/L in groundwater. ΣPFASs in soil were 0.29–0.59 ng/g, higher than 0.09–0.27 in the aquifer solids. Regarding horizontal distribution, the concentration of PFASs in groundwater increased in downtowns and the areas recharged with lake water. In terms of vertical distribution, ΣPFASs decreased with the increase of depth, and more PFASs adsorbed on clay particles in the aquifer. The total oxidable precursor analysis showed that 8:2 FT and 4:2 FT were the dominant precursors of PFASs, resulting in an increment of 0.1–4 ng/L PFASs. Hydrogen and oxygen stable isotope compositions suggest similar sources between surface water and groundwater in the study area, while principal component analysis and Bayesian inference also indicate that surface water is an important source of groundwater PFASs. The annual infiltration PFASs to groundwater from Ulansuhai was estimated by the water balance approach to be 9.39 kg. Results highlight the influence of agricultural irrigation activities and lake infiltration on groundwater PFASs in the arid region.
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•PFASs were introduced to groundwater with lake water infiltration.•PFCA-precursors originated from both FT and ECF were identified.•Long-chain PFASs and PFCA-precursors tend to be adsorbed to soil and aquifer solids.•The flux of PFASs infiltrated from Ulansuhai Lake to groundwater was 9.39 kg/y.
Background
Primary dysmenorrhoea (PDM), characterized as menstrual pain without pelvic pathology, is associated with pain‐related negative mood and hormone fluctuations. Previous studies strongly ...supported the link between pain and negative mood in affected individuals; however, it remains largely unknown in patients with PDM.
Methods
We focused on the effects how spontaneous pain, negative mood and hormone levels played on the central nervous system in 34 PDM women and 33 matched healthy controls across their cycles (periovulatory phase and menstruation phase) by using T1‐weighted and functional imaging. Voxel‐based morphometry and functional connectivity (FC) analyses were performed to evaluate brain structural and functional changes. Hormone concentrations (oestradiol, progesterone and cortisol) were also obtained.
Results
Abnormal state‐related GM volume in the amygdala was found between periovulatory and menstruation phases in PDM. Furthermore, larger amygdalar volume was observed in patients’ menstruation phase, which was significantly correlated with higher levels of cortisol. In addition, we found increased amygdala‐seeded FC in vlPFC, which may be associated with pain intensity and negative mood in PDM women during the pain state.
Conclusions
Taken together, we found women with PDM had structural and functional abnormalities in the amygdala, which associated with stress hormone levels, pain intensity and negative mood, may reflect disturbed emotional and pain modulation in women with PDM.
Significance
Our findings provide further evidence of amygdala‐related abnormalities, which may be associated with pain‐related affective distress and hormonal fluctuations in women with PDM, and complement the brain mechanism investigations for the pathophysiology of PDM.
Colitis is a major form of inflammatory bowel disease which involved mucosal immune dysfunction. Aloperine is an alkaloid isolated from the shrub Sophora alopecuroides L. and has been recognized as ...an effective treatment for inflammatory and allergic diseases. The present study aimed to examine the molecular mechanisms underlying aloperine-mediated colitis protection. We found that aloperine treatment improved colitis induced by dextran sodium sulfate (DSS) based on body weight, disease activity index, colonic length, and spleen index. Aloperine also effectively attenuated DSS-induced intestinal inflammation based on the pathological score and myeloperoxidase expression and activity in colon tissues. In addition, aloperine regulated T-cell proportions and promoted Foxp3 expression in the spleens and mesenteric lymph nodes of DSS-induced colitis mice and in the spleens of the Foxp3GFP mice. Aloperine inhibited Jurkat and mouse naïve T-cell apoptosis. Furthermore, aloperine inhibited PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling and upregulated PP2A expression in the DSS-induced colitis mice and in Jurkat cells, but LB-100 (PP2A inhibitor) resulted in an elevated Akt activity in Jurkat cells, activated T-cells, and human splenic mononuclear cells. Aloperine inhibited T-cell and lymphocyte proliferation, but LB-100 reverse these effects. In conclusion, aloperine regulates inflammatory responses in colitis by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling in a PP2A-dependent manner.
The core structure of determining the working efficiency of the pump is plunger. The pump performance and pump well mismatch when the plunger moves continuously in the pump barrel with the appearance ...of adverse environment. The friction and corrosion between the plunger surface and the pump barrel are serious, which results in the failure of the plunger due to the damage of the outer surface of the plug. It affects the economic benefits and production development of the oilfield seriously. In this article, the non-smooth structure of the two soil organisms (for instance, earthworm and dung beetle) is analyzed and two bionic plungers are designed to address the aforementioned challenges. Initially, a thorough analysis is performed to recognize the main failure forms of the plunger through investigation and analysis of the development of international plunger. Later, the two bionic plungers with the performance of friction and wear reduction are designed using the non-smooth theory. In addition, the standard prototype is developed and the three-dimensional design of the two different plunger is carried out for validation purpose. The results are compared with the standard prototype. The stress environment on the surface of the plunger is improved, and the wear of the plunger is reduced. The effect forces of the two bionic plunger are 13.2% and 17.50%, respectively.
Three protocols of accelerated startup and shutdown (SU/SD) test were investigated: startup and shutdown with air supply and soak to both anode and cathode (air-SU/SD), hydrogen protected startup and ...shutdown (H
2
-SU/SD), and hydrogen protected startup and shutdown with a load (H
2
-SU/SD with a load). The performance losses, electrochemical surface area (ECSA) reduction, and catalyst layer degradation were characterized and compared for these SU/SD protocols. Air-SU/SD protocol showed much more severe performance loss and catalyst layer degradation than hydrogen protected ones, which confirmed the benefits of hydrogen protection. The temperature effect on air-SU/SD was significant in a broad range from 20 °C to 70 °C, with low temperature greatly reducing the degradation. The mechanism of H
2
protection and load drawn in alleviating carbon corrosion was explained based on reactions and charge conservation during SU/SD. This paper provides comprehensive test data and failure analysis to quantify the benefits of H
2
protection and load drawn and to facilitate future enhancement of system strategies on SU/SD durability.
Due to the ever-growing demand for cost-effective batteries toward greener and sustainable applications, continuous effort has been devoted to tailoring the interfacial kinetics of electrode ...materials. Herein, surface anionization has been introduced for the hierarchical assembly of iron sulfides on three-dimensional (3D) graphene foam (denoted FeS2@3DGF and FeS@3DGF). The surface-anchored sulfate species provide ideal electroactive sites, which is correlated with enhanced capacitive contribution and boosted energy storage. Consequently, remarkable rate capability and stable cyclability can be achieved in alkaline-metal-ion batteries. Specifically, FeS@3DGF displays superb cycling stability when evaluated as anodes for Li-ion batteries (a steady capacity of 1109 mAh g–1 after 200 cycles at 200 mA g–1). Moreover, superior rate capability can be achieved for Na-ion batteries (203 mAh g–1 at 10 000 mA g–1). These findings provide new insights into reinforcing interface kinetics during electrochemical processes and hold great promise for versatile applications in the future.
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