Heavy metal(loid) pollution in mine wastes of a Carlin-type gold mine in southwestern Guizhou, China and its environmental impacts

Mercury pollution resulting from artisanal gold mining is a serious environmental problem in many developing countries. In this study, we analyzed heavy metal(loid) contamination in mine wastes from a Carlin-type gold mine in southwestern Guizhou, China. Highly elevated levels of As, Hg, Tl, Sb, and Cd—up to 5844, 28,29, 581 and 3.0 mg/kg, respectively—were observed in the mine wastes, but no significant accumulation of Cr, Ni, Cu,Zn, and Pb was found. The smelting process of gold ores had significant impacts on the enrichment of As, Tl, and Hg in the mine wastes. Due to the significant metal(loid)pollution in this gold mine, the ecological risks are classified as ‘‘very high.'' Hg and As are the major pollutants with a relative contribution of 55.9 % and 24.2 % to the risk index, respectively. Phytoremediation could be used to reduce heavy metal contamination and recycle the gold simultaneously. Hg–As–Tl pollution should be considered in gold extraction at Carlin-type gold mines.

Molecular simulation studies of hydrocarbon and carbon dioxide adsorption on coal

Sorption isotherms of hydrocarbon and carbon dioxide （CO2） provide crucial information for designing processes to sequester CO2 and recover natural gas from unmineable coal beds. Methane （CH4）, ethane （C2H6）, and CO2 adsorption isotherms on dry coal and the temperature effect on their maximum sorption capacity have been studied by performing combined Monte Carlo （MC） and molecular dynamics （MD） simulations at temperatures of 308 and 370 K （35 and 97 ~C） and at pressures up to 10 MPa. Simulation results demonstrate that absolute sorption （expressed as a mass basis） divided by bulk gas density has negligible temperature effect on CH4, C2H6, and CO2 sorption on dry coal when pressure is over 6 MPa. CO2 is more closely packed due to stronger interaction with coal and the stronger interaction between CO2 mole- cules compared, respectively, with the interactions between hydrocarbons and coal and between hydrocarbons. The results of this work suggest that the ＂a＂ constant （pro- portional to TcPc） in the Peng-Robinson equation of state is an important factor affecting the sorption behavior of hydrocarbons. CO2 injection pressures of lower than 8 MPa may be desirable for CH4 recovery and CO2 sequestration. This study provides a quantitative under- standing of the effects of temperature on coal sorptioncapacity for CH4, C2H6, and CO2 from a microscopic perspective.

Protective effects of Achyranthes bidentata polypeptides on retinal ganglion cells post-optic nerve crush in rats

Achyranthes bidentata polypeptides（ABPP） have been reported to inhibit apoptosis of retinal ganglion cells（RGCs）.The present study investigated the protective effects of ABPP on RGCs in a rat model of optic nerve injury.With prolonged injury time,RGC densities were gradually decreased.ABPP（5 μg） significantly increased RGC densities and upregulated growth associated protein 43 expression in rats with optic nerve injury.Results demonstrate that ABPP can protect RGCs and promote axonal growth after optic nerve crush.

kdm4aa is required for reproduction and development of zebrafish

Lysine-specific demethylase 4A(KDM4A)catalyzes demethylation of histone lysine residues,which regulates chromatin state and transcription.In drosophila and mice,KDM4A plays an important role in multiple biological processes including development,aging,metabolism,and immunity,however the functions of KDM4A in fish are still unclear.There are two copies of the kdm4a gene in zebrafish,namely kdm4aa and kdm4ab,kdm4aa was edited using CRISPR/Cas9 technology in the present study,then homozygous kdm4aa mutants(kdm4aa^(-/-)􀀀)were obtained,and loss of kdm4aa was confirmed by sequencing and increased H3K9me3.Whole-mount in situ hybridization showed that kdm4aa is widely expressed during the embryonic development of zebrafish.Compared with WT zebrafish,kdm4aa^(-/-)􀀀zebrafish showed no significant difference in gamete formation and fertilization,but the survival rate of kdm4aa^(-/-)􀀀embryos dramatically reduced to 21%at 26 hpf.Further observation showed that about 80%of survived kdm4aa^(-/-)􀀀zebrafish experienced disruption in stripe formation,and 10%of survived kdm4aa^(-/-)􀀀zebrafish underwent vertebral malformation.Alizarin red S staining demonstrated the abnormal spinal development in kdm4aa^(-/-)􀀀zebrafish.These results indicated that kdm4aa is required for normal embryonic development of zebrafish,loss of kdm4aa function leads to decreased survival during the early stages of zebrafish development and morphological variation in adult zebrafish.

突发公共卫生事件中护理人员心理状况调查与分析

目的了解突发公共卫生应急事件护理人员的心理健康状况,为采取针对性的措施和方法提供依据。方法采用便利抽样法,选用社会支持评定量表、心理弹性量表、心理健康评定量表对护理人员心理状况进行问卷调查。结果护理人员心理健康评分为(12.07±7.17)分,90.48%(133/147)的护理人员心理健康较好,9.52%(14/147)的护理人员心理健康较差。单因素方差分析显示职称与所在科室两个因素影响护理人员心理健康,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);Pearson相关分析显示心理健康与社会支持评定量表及客观支持、对社会支持利用度维度、心理弹性之间均相关(P<0.05);多元线性逐步回归分析显示职称、所在科室、心理弹性是一线护理人员心理健康的独立影响因素。结论护理人员心理健康水平待提高,采取有效的心理干预方案,尽量降低护理人员的劳动负荷,必要时进行心理咨询,以保持良好的心理健康。

I-IBV life cycle is restricted in mouse hepatocytes .~xpressing human NTCP

Recent studies have revealed that human sodium taurocholate cotransporting polypeptide （SLC10A1 or NTCP） is a functional cellular receptor for hepatitis B virus （HBV）. However, whether human NTCP can support HBV infection in mouse hepatocyte cell lines has not been clarified. Because an HBV-permissible mouse model would be helpful for the study of HBV pathogenesis, it is necessary to investigate whether human NTCP supports the susceptibility of mouse hepatocyte cell lines to HBV. The results show that exogenous human NTCP expression can render non-susceptible HepG2 （human）, Huh7 （human）, Hepal-6 （mouse）, AML-12 （mouse） cell lines and primary mouse hepatocyte （PMH） cells susceptible to hepatitis D virus （HDV） which employs HBV envelope proteins. However, human NTCP could only introduce HBV susceptibility in human-derived HepG2 and Huh7 cells, but not in mouse-derived Hepal-6, AML-12 or PMH cells. These data suggest that although human NTCP is a functional receptor that mediates HBV infection in human cells, it cannot support HBV infection in mouse hepatocytes. Our study indicated that the restriction of HBV in mouse hepatocytes likely occurs after viral entry but prior to viral transcription. We have excluded the role of mouse hepatocyte nuclear factors in the restriction of the HBV life cycle and showed that knockdown or inhibition of Sting, TBK1, IRF3 or IRF7, the components of the anti-viral signaling pathways, had no effect on HBV infection in mouse hepatocytes. Therefore, murine restriction factors that limit HBV infection need to be identified before a HBV-permissible mouse line can be created.

Risk SNP-induced lncRNA-SLCCl drives colorectal cancer through activating glycolysis signaling

Long non-coding RNAs(lncRNAs)play key roles in colorectal carcinogenesis.Here,we aimed to identify the risk SNP-induced lncRNAs and to investigate their roles in colorectal carcinogenesis.First,we identified rs6695584 as the causative SNP in 1 q41 locus.The A>G mutation of rs6695584 created a protein-binding motif of BATF,altered the enhancer activity,and subsequently activated IncSLCCl expression.Further validation in two independent CRC cohorts confirmed the upregulation of IncSLCCl in CRC tissues,and revealed that increased IncSLCCl expression was associated with poor survival in CRC patients.Mechanistically,lncRNA-SLCCl interacted with AHR and transcriptionally activated HK2 expression,the crucial enzyme in glucose metabolism,thereby driving the glycolysis pathway and accelerating CRC tumor growth.The functional assays revealed that IncSLCCl induced glycolysis activation and tumor growth in CRC mediated by HK2.In addition,HK2 was upregulated in colorectal cancer tissues and positively correlated with IncSLCCl expression and patient survival.Taken together,our findings reveal a risk SNP-mediated oncogene lncRNA-SLCCl promotes CRC through activating the glycolysis pathway.