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Quantifying variation of non-point source pollution and its impact factors: A study of Nansi Lake Basin
Agricultural non-point source (NPS) pollution directly affects the quality of soil and water, ecological balance and human health, and is a key challenge to achieve sustainable environmental development and efficient resource management. Taking the Nansi Lake Basin (NLB) as the study area, this study explores the main sources of agricultural NPS pollution and its influencing factors, aiming to provide scientific basis for the management of water resources in the basin. Current studies usually use the runoff pollution partitioning method to estimate agricultural NPS pollution loads in runoff, but the accuracy of the analyses is limited by the incompleteness of water quality monitoring data, especially the lack of complete runoff records in some years. To compensate for this deficiency, this study simulated the river runoff based on the Long-Term Hydrological Impact Assessment (L-THIA) model, and applied the simulation results to the quantitative calculation of agricultural NPS pollution loads after verifying the model reliability through accuracy calibration. Based on L-THIA model, the spatial and temporal distribution data of agricultural NPS pollution in the basin from 2010 to 2020 were obtained, the distribution characteristics of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) were quantitatively assessed, and the impacts of natural and socio-economic factors on them were analyzed. A regression model was developed to simulate future agricultural NPS pollution through multiple regression analysis. The results showed that the total agricultural NPS pollution in the NLB showed an increasing trend during the study period. In particular, among the socio-economic factors, COD and NH3-N were significantly correlated with fertilizer application, pesticide use, rural employment and total population. Among the natural factors, topographic index, watershed area and gully density were positively correlated with pollutants, while slope and soil organic matter were negatively correlated. The results of this study raise awareness of the contribution of influencing factors and allow researchers and planners to focus on the most important NPS pollution sources and influencing factors. The study provides an important reference for the prevention and control of agricultural NPS pollution in the NLB, which is of great practical importance.
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FAM50A as a novel prognostic marker modulates the proliferation of colorectal cancer cells via CylinA2/CDK2 pathway
Objective Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most prevalent malignant tumor type and the second leading cause of cancer-related death. Sequence similarity family 50 member A (FAM50A) plays a vital role in numerous disease processes, including tumor progression. This study aimed to evaluate the prognostic significance of FAM50A in CRC and to explore its role in CRC cell proliferation. Methods TCGA and GTEX databases and immunohistochemical staining (IHC) was used to study the expression of FAM50A in CRC tissues. Patient survival data were used to assess the prognostic significance of FAM50A in CRC using Kaplan–Meier analysis and Cox regression analysis. The Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU), and colony-formation assays were employed to assess the impact of FAM50A on tumor cell proliferation. Flow cytometry was used to detect the changes of cell cycle. The cell cycle and cycle-related proteins were measured via western blotting (WB) to explore the potential mechanisms involving in cancer progresses. Results The results of IHC revealed a notable upregulation of FAM50A expression levels in CRC tissue compared with adjacent normal tissue. Moreover, FAM50A expression was positively correlated with N and TNM stages in 145 patients with CRC. Cox regression analysis and construction of a nomogram revealed that high FAM50A expression was a prognostic indicator for poor overall survival in patients with CRC. Knockdown of FAM50A decreased cell proliferation ability, the proportion of EdU positive cells, and the number of CRC cell colonies, whereas overexpressing FAM50A promoted proliferative phenotypes. Knocking down FAM50A induced a significant increase in the number of cells in the S phase. Meanwhile, CyclinA2 and CDK2 were significantly reduced after FAM50A knocking down. Conclusion FAM50A may be a novel prognostic marker for CRC, and may participate in regulating tumor progression by targeting the CyclinA2/CDK2 signal pathway.
Sudden cardiac death after coronary artery bypass graft surgery and role of antiplatelet therapy
Background While coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery is effective in reducing the risk of myocardial infarction and subsequent cardiac events by improving myocardial perfusion, the risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) remains notable. Methods This retrospective observational study evaluated the efficacy of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) in preventing sudden cardiac death (SCD) among patients undergoing CABG surgery at a major U.S. cardiac center (2012–2015). Data was manually extracted from electronic medical records between 23/04/2017 to 30/03/ 2018 and verified for accuracy, with patients categorized into DAPT or aspirin monotherapy groups based on discharge prescriptions. Results Of 2,476 patients followed in this post-CABG study, the analysis included 1,005 patients who received aspirin monotherapy (AMT) and 1,458 patients who received dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT). AMT group had a significantly higher incidence of SCD compared to those on DAPT (3.1% vs 0.8%; OR = 3.831, 95% CI: 1.961–7.519; p < 0.001). The binary regression model indicated that a higher BMI was associated with an increased risk of SCD (HR = 1.064, 95% CI: 1.012–1.118, p = 0.014). However, patients prescribed P2Y12 antagonists (HR = 0.285, 95% CI: 0.135–0.603, p < 0.001), those with a GFR > 60 ml/min (HR = 0.314, 95% CI: 0.158–0.624, p < 0.001), and those with a higher ejection fraction (HR = 0.962, 95% CI: 0.939–0.986, p = 0.002) were less likely to experience SCD following CABG. A 1 kg/m2 increase in BMI is associated with a 6.4% increase in the risk of SCD. Morbidly obese patients with BMI > 35 were more likely to have experienced SCD than those with BMI < 35 (HR = 2.400, 95% CI: 1.204–4,787; p = 0.013). Similarly, patients with EF > 40% had decreased incidence of SCD compared to those with EF < 40% (HR 0.347, 95% CI:0.158–0.763; p = 0.008). Patients on AMT had higher all-cause (OR = 2.136, 95% CI 1.502–3.038; p < 0.001) and CV mortality (OR = 3.731, 95% CI 2.233–6.235; p < 0.001) but had lower incidence of major bleeding (by drop in hemoglobin criteria) (OR = 0.704, 95% CI: 0.595–0.833; p < 0.001) compared to the DAPT group. Conclusion DAPT prescription after CABG improves survival and lowers risk of sudden cardiac death.
Daily briefing: Postdocs and PhD students hit hard by Trump’s crackdown on science
L-shaped relationship between dietary niacin intake and hearing loss in United States adults: National health and nutrition examination survey
Hearing loss poses a significant threat to human health, with its prevalence increasing annually. Niacin (vitamin B3) is an essential B vitamin that plays a crucial role in energy metabolism and cellular repair in the body. Additionally, it exerts a protective influence on the cells of the inner ear. A correlation between dietary niacin and hearing loss has been reported; however, the results remain controversial, requiring further investigation. This study aimed to examine the potential association between dietary niacin intake and hearing loss in United States (U.S.) adults, providing a reference for dietary preventive management of hearing loss. In this cross-sectional study, data derived from the National Health and Nutrition Survey for U.S. adults aged 20 to 69 years, spanning the 2011–2012 and 2015–2016 cycles, were used. Logistic regression, restricted cubic spline models, subgroup analyses, and sensitivity analyses were used to assess the stability of the results. A total of 7675 participants were included, of whom 772 (10.1%) exhibited low-frequency hearing loss (LFHL), 1165 (15.2%) had speech-frequency hearing loss (SFHL), and 2816 (36.7%) had high-frequency hearing loss (HFHL). In the final model, the adjusted odds ratios of dietary niacin intake and LFHL, SFHL, and HFHL in Q2 (16.97–23.40 mg/day) were compared with those in Q1 (≤16.96 mg/day) and were 0.73 (0.57–0.92), 0.76 (0.61–0.94), and 0.80 (0.67–0.96), respectively. The relationship between dietary niacin intake and hearing loss (HL) was illustrated via an L-shaped curve in the restricted cubic spline with an inflection point of approximately 23.26 mg/day. The odds ratios for HL in individuals with niacin intake less than 23.26 mg/day were as follows: 0.950 (0.917–0.984) for LFHL, 0.951 (0.921–0.982) for SFHL, and 0.965 (0.939–0.992) for HFHL. To summarize, an “L”-shaped correlation between dietary niacin intake and the occurrence of HL in U.S. adults with an inflection point estimated at approximately 23.26 mg/day was revealed in the present study.
Key factors in supporting adolescents to achieve high self-esteem and a positive body image: A qualitative community-based study
Introduction Body dissatisfaction can be affect adolescents’ mental health, leading to issues with body weight control, low self-esteem, and poor school performance. Methods A total of 24 interviews with adolescents, parents, and teachers in Spain were conducted for this study. The study aimed to explore and compare the views of adolescents, parents, and teachers regarding interventions to improve self-esteem and positive body image in school-aged adolescents. A generic qualitative study design with purposive sampling was used, and the data was thematically analyzed. Results Key barriers identified included lack of family communication, unfavourable family environments, and insufficient training. Social media and gender stereotypes, along with social rejection, were major challenges for adolescents. Facilitators included family involvement and using role models as a strategy. Proposed interventions focused on individual and group recreational activities starting at an early age, engaging adolescents in activities of interest, and promoting collaboration with families. Conclusion This study identified barriers and facilitators proposing multi-level interventions that engage adolescents, families, educational institutions, and the community. Strengthening facilitators and reducing barriers should guide future public health policies. Public contribution These findings may be useful for developing multilevel interventions aimed at improving body image and self-esteem, which could, in turn, prevent and reduce the severity of clinical disorders during adolescence.
Early colonization of the deep-sea bottom—The protracted build-up of an ecosystem
Our understanding of the patterns and processes behind the evolution of deep-marine ecosystems is limited because the body-fossil record of the deep sea is poor. However, that gap in knowledge may be filled as deposits are host to diverse and abundant trace fossils that record the activities of benthic deep-marine organisms. Here, we built a global dataset of trace-fossil occurrences from a comprehensive survey of 720 Ediacaran–Devonian units and show that the establishment of a modern-style deep-marine benthic ecosystem was protracted and coincident with global cooling and increase in oxygenation during the Ordovician. The formation of open burrows may have increased bioirrigation in the uppermost sediment zone, promoting ventilation and generating an ecosystem engineering feedback loop between bioturbation and pore-water oxygenation. Sharp changes in deep-marine bioturbation during the Devonian may have originated from oxygen variations resulting from climate-controlled oceanic circulation.
Trustworthy diagnosis of Electrocardiography signals based on out-of-distribution detection
Cardiovascular disease is one of the most dangerous conditions, posing a significant threat to daily health. Electrocardiography (ECG) is crucial for heart health monitoring. It plays a pivotal role in early heart disease detection, heart function assessment, and guiding treatments. Thus, refining ECG diagnostic methods is vital for timely and accurate heart disease diagnosis. Recently, deep learning has significantly advanced in ECG signal classification and recognition. However, these methods struggle with new or Out-of-Distribution (OOD) heart diseases. The deep learning model performs well on existing heart diseases but falters on unknown types, which leads to less reliable diagnoses. To address this challenge, we propose a novel trustworthy diagnosis method for ECG signals based on OOD detection. The proposed model integrates Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) and Attention mechanisms to enhance feature extraction. Meanwhile, Energy and ReAct techniques are used to recognize OOD heart diseases and its generalization capacity for trustworthy diagnosis. Empirical validation using both the MIT-BIH Arrhythmia Database and the INCART 12-lead Arrhythmia Database demonstrated our method’s high sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing both known and out-of-distribution (OOD) heart diseases, thus verifying the model’s diagnostic trustworthiness. The results not only validate the effectiveness of our approach but also highlight its potential application value in cardiac health diagnostics.
Revisiting Pearl’s influenza studies by bootstrapping for forward variable selection with a null factor
In 1919 and 1921 Raymond Pearl published four empirical studies on the Spanish Flu epidemic in which he explored the factors that might explain the explosiveness and destructiveness of the epidemic in America’s largest cities. Using partial correlation coefficients he tried to isolate the net effects of the possible explanatory factors, such as general demographic characteristics of the cities and death rates for various diseases, on the variables measuring the severity of the epidemic. Instead of Pearl’s correlation analysis, we apply a bootstrap simulation to forward variable selection with a null factor for generalized linear regression with AICc validation. The null factor or pseudo-variable is a random variable that is independent of the response. The number of times it is included in the model selection simulation provides an important metric for deciding which terms should remain in the model. Our results are largely consistent with Pearl’s conclusions in that the pre-pandemic death rates from organic heart disease and from all causes are most predictive of pandemic explosiveness or severity. However, our results also contain substantive nuances. Our paper contributes to the literature showing that state-of-the-art methodology for variable selection proves useful for historical epidemiology.
Clinical safety and pharmacokinetics of a novel oral niclosamide formulation compared with marketed niclosamide chewing tablets in healthy volunteers: A three-part randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Aim Niclosamide is an established anthelmintic substance and a promising candidate for treating cancer, viral infections, and other diseases. However, its solubility in aqueous media is low, and the systemic bioavailability of the commercially available chewing tablet is poor, limiting the use of niclosamide for systemic treatment. A liquid oral formulation using polyethylene glycol 400 was developed and investigated in healthy volunteers to assess safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics in comparison to the marketed tablet. (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04644705). Methods The study consisted of three parts: Part A was a double-blind placebo-controlled single ascending dose trial in three dose groups (200, 600, and 1600 mg) with four participants receiving either the investigational niclosamide formulation or placebo (3:1) under fasted and/or fed conditions. Part B was a crossover study comparing 1600 mg investigational niclosamide solution with the marketed 2000 mg chewing tablet in four healthy volunteers. Part C was a double-blind placebo-controlled multiple-dose trial comparing 1200 mg and 1600 mg (verum: placebo 4:2) in two dose groups with six subjects each, who received daily doses for seven days. Results No serious or severe adverse events occurred. The most frequent adverse events were mild to moderate gastrointestinal reactions. There was also no apparent dependence between drug exposure levels (AUC, Cmax) and the severity and incidence of adverse events detectable. A relevant food effect was observed with a mean AUC last about 2-fold higher in fed condition compared to fasted condition. In Part B, dose-normalized C max and AUC last were similar for niclosamide solution and tablet. Absorption of niclosamide solution was highly variable. Some individuals showed high absorption (C max > 2µg/ml) whereas others did absorb only marginally. Importantly, there was no dose linearity in the range of 200 mg – 1600 mg. No signs of relevant systemic drug accumulation after multiple administrations were observed. Conclusion Overall safety and tolerability observed in healthy subjects were benign. This is also true for individuals with high absorption (C max > 2µg/ml), encouraging further research into niclosamide as a potential therapeutic agent. Galenic optimization, however, will remain challenging as evident from the observed exposure variability and non-linear PK. Non-linearity, if confirmed by additional data, might make niclosamide more suitable for multi-dose rather than high single dose regimens. The observed food effect should also be considered when further investigating systemic niclosamide exposures. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04644705
Consumer attitudes and perceptions on consumption of edible insects among communities in western Kenya
Edible insects are a highly sustainable and nutritional food source despite their low consumption in many communities. This study evaluated consumer attitudes and perceptions on consumption of edible insects in western Kenya. Eight focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted in four rural and four urban markets in Kisumu and Vihiga counties. The FGDs were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic content analysis. A total of 59 respondents consisting of 27 male and 32 females participated in the FGDs. The results showed higher acceptability and consumption of edible insects in rural areas compared to urban centers. The most popular edible insects were flying termites, grasshoppers, soldier termites and locusts. Consumption of these insects was mostly determined by their perceived high nutritional value, pleasant taste and familiarity as food sources. Seasonal capturing of the insects, especially during off-season also contributed to their low consumption. Respondents’ willingness to taste insect-based products was based on curiosity, packaging and familiarity with the product forms. These results suggest that there is need for interventions that promote public awareness and enhance the availability of edible insects and insect-based products, to support wider acceptability and consumption.