Application of sequential extraction for analyzing source and sink of uranium in Huanghe River sediments,China

Geochemical behaviors of heavy metals are closely related to their chemical state that can be divided by sequential extraction into exchangeable(F1),bound to carbonates(F2),bound to Fe-Mn oxides(F3),bound to organic matter or sulfide(F4),and residual(F5).Uranium in sediment of the Huanghe(Yellow)River,China,in different chemical states was extracted using the five-step procedure of Tessier and the source and sink were analyzed.Results show that more than 70%of the total uranium was immobile residual F5 in abundance,followed in order of F4>F3>F2>F1,indicating that the main source of uranium in the sediments was from weathered rock in the drainage basin.In addition,the uranium in the sediments presents potential exogenous input in the Lanzhou,Baotou,and Tongguan reach.Fe-Mn oxides are main carriers of unstable uranium,especially those of F1 and F3.Calcite and illite are secondary adsorption minerals of unstable uranium in sediments under natural conditions.Human activities can also produce an obvious impact on uranium speciation.This study provides a reference for the application of sequential extraction in analyzing the source and sink of uranium in river sediments.

^(234)U/^(238)U as a potential tracer for tracking water masses mixing in the northern East China Sea

The optimum multiparameter(OMP) method was often used to determine the percentages of water masses based on temperature, salinity and other parameters, like nutrient or dissolved oxygen(DO). There are a number of water masses in the East China Sea(ECS), a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean. However, it is difficult to clarify the proportion of water masses using traditional parameters, such as temperature, salinity, nutrient or DO because of the occurring of intensive biogeochemical processes in the near shore and shelf areas. Here, we reported the use of ^(234)U/^(238)Uactivity ratio embedded in the OMP method. The results indicate that seawater in the northern ECS mainly consisted of the estuarine water of Changjiang River(CEW), Kuroshio water(KW), and Yellow Sea Coastal Current(YSCC). In March 2017, the CEW only influenced the offshore waters shallower than30 m;the KW affected the east edge and the YSCC contributed more than 75% in the northern ECS.

Comparable outcomes but higher risks of prolonged viral RNA shedding duration and secondary infection in cancer survivors with COVID-19: A multi-center, matched retrospective cohort study

Results Sixty-one cancer survivors and 183 matched non-cancer patients were screened from 2,828 COVID-19 infected patients admitted to 4 hospitals in Wuhan,China.The median ages of the cancer survivor cohort and non-cancer patient cohort were 64.0(55.0–73.0)and 64.0(54.0–73.5),respectively(P=0.909).Cancer survivors reported a higher incidence of symptom onset than non-cancer patients.Fever(80.3%vs.65.0%;P=0.026)was the most prevalent symptom,followed by cough(65.6%vs.37.7%;P<0.001),myalgia,and fatigue(45.9%vs.13.6%;P<0.001).The risks of the development of severe events(adjusted hazard ratio[AHR]=1.25;95%confidence interval[CI]:0.76–2.06;P=0.378)and mortality(relative risk[RR]=0.90,95%CI:0.79–1.04;P=0.416)in the cancer survivor cohort were comparable to those of the matched non-cancer patient cohort.However,the cancer survivor cohort showed a higher incidence of secondary infection(52.5%vs.30.1%;RR=1.47,95%CI:1.11–1.95;P=0.002)and a prolonged viral RNA shedding duration(32 days[IQR 26.0–46.0]vs.24.0 days[IQR 18.0–33.0];AHR=0.54;95%CI:0.38–0.80;P<0.05).Conclusion Compared to non-cancer patients,cancer survivors with COVID-19 exhibited a higher incidence of secondary infection,a prolonged period of viral shedding,but comparable risks of the development of severe events and mortality.It is helpful for clinicians to take tailored measures to treat cancer survivors with COVID-19.

Seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)in patients with cancer and the impact of anti-tumor treatment on antibodies

Objective The aim of this study was to examine the seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2)among patients with cancer and followed up changes in SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies to explore the impact of anti-tumor treatment in patients.Methods Patients with cancer who visited the Outpatient Clinic of Oncology,Tongji Hospital,Tongji Medical College,Huazhong University of Science and Technology,Wuhan,China between March 9 and April 30,2020 were enrolled in this retrospective cohort study.SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin(Ig)G,IgM,and viral load at various time points during the disease course were determined.Results We examined the serological results of 779 patients with cancer.The overall seroprevalence(IgG-positive or IgM-positive)rate of SARS-CoV-2 was 3.4%.The probability of seropositivity was significantly higher in patients with gastric cancer than in those without gastric cancer(odds ratio:6.349,95%confidence interval:2.191–18.396).Follow-up data showed that SARS-CoV-2 IgM and IgG levels decreased and the polymerase chain reaction test result remained negative in seropositive patients with cancer.Conclusion This study investigated the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in coronavirus disease(COVID-19)-positive patients with cancer in Wuhan,China.The seropositivity in patients with cancer was lower than or similar to that in the general population.Irrespective of anti-tumor therapy,the levels of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies decreased in these patients.More studies are needed to better understand the impact of anti-tumor therapy on change in the levels of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.

Lineage reprogramming of fibroblasts into induced cardiac progenitor cells by CRISPR/Cas9-based transcriptional activators

Overexpression of exogenous lineage-determining factors succeeds in directly reprogramming fibroblasts to various cell types.Several studies have reported reprogramming of fibroblasts into induced cardiac progenitor cells(iCPCs).CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene activation is a potential approach for cellular reprogramming due to its high precision and multiplexing capacity.Here we show lineage reprogramming to iCPCs through a dead Cas9(dCas9)-based transcription activation system.Targeted and robust activation of endogenous cardiac factors,including GATA4,HAND2,MEF2 C and TBX5(G,H,M and T;GHMT),can reprogram human fibroblasts toward iCPCs.The iCPCs show potentials to differentiate into cardiomyocytes,smooth muscle cells and endothelial cells in vitro.Addition of MEIS1 to GHMT induces cell cycle arrest in G2/M and facilitates cardiac reprogramming.Lineage reprogramming of human fibroblasts into iCPCs provides a promising cellular resource for disease modeling,drug discovery and individualized cardiac cell therapy.

A review of brain imaging biomarker genomics in Alzheimer’s disease:implementation and perspectives

Alzheimer’s disease(AD)is a progressive neurodegenerative disease with phenotypic changes closely associated with both genetic variants and imaging pathology.Brain imaging biomarker genomics has been developed in recent years to reveal potential AD pathological mechanisms and provide early diagnoses.This technique integrates multimodal imaging phenotypes with genetic data in a noninvasive and high-throughput manner.In this review,we summarize the basic analytical framework of brain imaging biomarker genomics and elucidate two main implementation scenarios of this technique in AD studies:(1)exploring novel biomarkers and seeking mutual interpretability and(2)providing a diagnosis and prognosis for AD with combined use of machine learning methods and brain imaging biomarker genomics.Importantly,we highlight the necessity of brain imaging biomarker genomics,discuss the strengths and limitations of current methods,and propose directions for development of this research field.