Tag: pubmed

Huan Jing Ke Xue. 2024 Feb 8;45(2):721-731. doi: 10.13227/j.hjkx.202301093.

ABSTRACT

Based on the existing statistical data of the Lingang Special Area in Shanghai and considering its future socio-economic development， industrial structure， and technological development， a LEAP-Lingang model was developed to analyze the evolution trends of energy demand and carbon emissions under the baseline scenario， low-carbon scenario， and enhanced low-carbon scenario. To enhance the prediction accuracy of the model， the Logistic population growth model was used to predict future population data， and the learning curve model was used to simulate the cost evolution trend of related carbon reduction technologies. In addition， an economic evaluation model for carbon reduction technologies was developed， and the economic costs and emission reduction potential of typical carbon reduction technologies were evaluated by drawing a marginal emission reduction cost curve. The results showed that under the enhanced low-carbon scenario， the renewable energy accounted for 69% of the primary energy consumption， and the electric energy accounted for 91% of the terminal energy demand in 2060. The Lingang Special Area could achieve carbon peak by 2030， and the carbon emissions in 2060 were predicted to decrease by 94% compared to that in the baseline scenario. In terms of contribution to emission reduction， clean energy substitution， industrial structure optimization， and terminal energy efficiency improvement played a key role in reducing carbon emissions near the port. In the medium term （until 2035）， they were predicted to contribute 35.1%， 27.3%， and 16.2% of carbon emissions， respectively， and in the long term （until 2060）， they should contribute 50.6%， 8.75%， and 7.7% of carbon emissions， respectively. Regarding specific carbon reduction technologies， hydrogen power generation； water electrolysis for hydrogen； and carbon capture， utilization， and storage （CCUS） technology were of great significance for achieving net-zero emissions， but the costs of emission reduction were relatively high. The research results can provide ideas and references for the low-carbon and green development of the Lingang Special Area and related areas.

PMID:38471912 | DOI:10.13227/j.hjkx.202301093

Huan Jing Ke Xue. 2024 Feb 8;45(2):655-667. doi: 10.13227/j.hjkx.202303009.

ABSTRACT

Based on the continuous data of O₃， NO， NO₂， and NO_x and the meteorological data from March 2019 to February 2020 at six atmospheric composition observation stations in Shanxi Province， the characteristics and influence factors of O₃ volume fractions were studied using statistical analysis and backward trajectory analysis. The results showed that O₃ volume fractions were generally higher from April to September and lower from October to the following March. During the study period， O₃ pollution represented by φ（MDA8O₃）， i.e.， the maximum daily 8-h average of O₃ volume fractions， was the most serious at the Jincheng and Linfen stations in the south of Shanxi， followed by that in the Wutaishan， Shuozhou， and Datong stations in the north， with the least pollution occurring at the Taiyuan station in the middle. There were differences between the urban and alpine stations， although their seasonal O₃ volume fractions were both summer > spring > autumn > winter. O₃ volume fractions at the urban station were usually lower than those at the alpine station； O₃ at the urban station might have been influenced by photochemical reactions with precursor NO_x； however， this was not the main source of high O₃ at the alpine station. The peak and valley values appeared at 15：00 and 06：00， respectively， at the urban station， whereas they appeared at 20：00 and 10：00， respectively， at the alpine station， representing diametrically opposite diurnal variation patterns. Further， the daily amplitude of O₃ at the urban station was much larger than that at the alpine station. For urban stations specifically， temperature was the most important meteorological factor affecting O₃ volume fraction， compared with sunlight hours， precipitation， and total cloud cover. The NO₂ volume fraction in the daytime affected the daily amplitude of O₃； although the photochemical generation potential of O₃ at the Taiyuan station was good， the O₃ volume fractions were the lowest among urban stations due to strong NO titration. The higher O₃ corresponded to lower NO_x in which NO₂ was dominant， and the higher NO_x was largely composed of NO， under which conditions O₃ would be depleted completely. The surface wind that affected O₃ volume fractions of all stations primarily came from the southeast， south， and southwest， and specific wind speed led to the increase in O₃ volume fraction. The geographical situation of the station would cause the difference in the transport of atmospheric pollutants， whereas the horizontal transmissions of high O₃ from the North China Plain and Fenwei Plain were likely to be the common reason for the increase in O₃ volume fraction in Shanxi.

PMID:38471906 | DOI:10.13227/j.hjkx.202303009

Huan Jing Ke Xue. 2024 Mar 8;45(3):1749-1759. doi: 10.13227/j.hjkx.202304033.

ABSTRACT

The large-scale construction of new districts has led to severe soil heavy metal pollution. Therefore, taking Fengdong New District as the target research area, the descriptive statistics of heavy metal content characteristics and Kriging interpolation analysis have been conducted, and the potential ecological risk index and information diffusion theory were further combined to create an information diffusion model based on risk assessment. Finally, the pollution degree, ecological risk, and risk occurrence probability of Pb, Cu, Cd, and Hg were discussed. The findings revealed that the average concentrations of the four heavy metals far exceeded the background value of soil heavy metals by a factor of 1.943 (Pb), 1.419 (Cu), 3.074 (Cd), and 3.567 (Hg), respectively. Moreover, the distribution of soil heavy metals showed strong variability(CV>65%)owing to human interference. The distribution of Pb and Cu pollution were predominantly influenced by industrial production and land development for construction purposes, whereas industrial activities, agricultural practices, and transportation served as the primary sources of Cd contamination. On the other hand, industrial construction emerged as the major factor contributing to Hg pollution. The average values of individual potential ecological risk index for heavy metals of 9.716 (Pb), 7.095 (Cu), 92.292 (Cd), and 142.469 (Hg), coupled with the regional comprehensive potential ecological risk index (RI) average of 251.573, signified that the region was overall characterized by a relatively high potential ecological risk status. The overall potential ecological risk for Pb and Cu in the region were mild, whereas Cd and Hg posed moderate to high risks, indicating that Cd and Hg were the dominant driving factors behind regional heavy metal pollution. The evaluation results of the information diffusion model based on the potential ecological risk indicated that the probability ranking of different levels of comprehensive potential ecological risk was as follows:slightly high (38.98%) > moderate (38.55%) > high (5.89%) > slight (5.15%) > extremely high (3.56%). The exceeding probabilities of potential ecological risk levels for Cd and Hg were significantly higher than those for Pb and Cu. The exceeding probability of different pollution levels of Hg were slight (94.89%), moderate (66.85%), slightly high (23.62%), high (3.9%), and extremely high (2%), of which only the surpassing probability of the slight level was lower than that of Cd. The prediction error of pollution probability of each potential ecological risk level was less than 5%, demonstrating the reliability of the information diffusion model based on the risk assessment. This research will provide technical reference and support for the monitoring and management of potential ecological risks from soil heavy metals in limited sample data regions.

PMID:38471886 | DOI:10.13227/j.hjkx.202304033

Huan Jing Ke Xue. 2024 Mar 8;45(3):1525-1538. doi: 10.13227/j.hjkx.202304087.

ABSTRACT

Shallow groundwater is the main source of water for living and industrial and agricultural production in Anqing City, which is an important basic guarantee to maintain the sustainable development of the social economy and regional ecological environment. In order to further study the water chemical characteristics and controlling factors of shallow groundwater in Anqing City, 196 groups of shallow groundwater samples were collected. A Piper diagram graph, Gibbs chart, ion ratio, and mathematical statistics were comprehensively used to study the water chemical characteristics and controlling factors of groundwater in Anqing City, and the contribution of different sources to the water chemical components of groundwater was quantitatively evaluated. The results showed that the shallow groundwater in Anqing City was weakly alkaline, with pH values ranging from 5.84 to 8.38, with an average value of 7.21. The TDS ranged from 47 to 1 620 mg·L^-1, with an average of 324.21 mg·L^-1. HCO₃^– and Ca²⁺ were the main anions, and the water chemical type was HCO₃-Ca type. The chemical components of groundwater were affected by rock weathering leaching, cation alternating adsorption, mineral dissolution and precipitation, and human activities. Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, and HCO₃^– were mainly derived from the weathering dissolution of carbonate and silicate; Na⁺, Cl^–, and SO₄^2- were affected by industrial activities and domestic sewage discharge; and K⁺ and NO₃^– were affected by agricultural activities. The APCS-MLR receptor model analysis further revealed that the chemical components of groundwater were mainly geological factors, industrial factors, agricultural factors, and unknown sources, and their contribution rates were 45.35%, 14.19%, 25.38%, and 15.08%, respectively. Geological factors were important sources of hydrochemical components of shallow groundwater, and human activities aggravated the evolution of groundwater hydrochemistry.

PMID:38471867 | DOI:10.13227/j.hjkx.202304087

Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2024 Mar 12. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2023-0339. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Using global surface electromyography (sEMG) and the sEMG threshold it has been suggested that children activate their type-II MUs to a lesser extent compared with adults. However, when age-related differences in discrete MU activation are examined using sEMG decomposition this phenomenon is not observed. Furthermore, findings from these studies are inconsistent and conflicting. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine differences in discrete MU activation of the vastus lateralis (VL) between boys and men during moderate-intensity knee extensions. Seventeen boys and 20 men completed two laboratory sessions. Following a habituation session, maximal voluntary isometric knee extension (MVIC) torque was determined before completing trapezoidal contractions at 70% MVIC. sEMG of the VL was captured and mathematically decomposed into individual MU action potential trains. MUAP amplitude (MUAPamp), recruitment threshold (RT), and MU firing rates (MUFR) were calculated. We observed that MUAPamp-RT slope was steeper in men compared with boys (p<0.05) even after accounting for fat thickness and quadriceps muscle depth. The mean MUFR and y-intercept of the MUFR-RT relationship were significantly (p<0.001) lower in boys than in men. The slope of the MUFR-RT relationship tended to be steeper in men, but the differences did not reach statistical significance (p=0.056). Overall, our results suggest that neural strategies used to produce torque are different among boys and men. Such differences may be related, in part, to boys’ lower MUFR and lesser ability to activate their higher-threshold MUs. Although, other factors (e.g., muscle composition) likely also play a role.

PMID:38471135 | DOI:10.1139/apnm-2023-0339

Anal Chem. 2024 Mar 12. doi: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c05741. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Pancreatic cancer is a highly aggressive and rapidly progressing disease, often diagnosed in advanced stages due to the absence of early noticeable symptoms. The KRAS mutation is a hallmark of pancreatic cancer, yet the underlying mechanisms driving pancreatic carcinogenesis remain elusive. Cancer cells display significant metabolic heterogeneity, which is relevant to the pathogenesis of cancer. Population measurements may obscure information about the metabolic heterogeneity among cancer cells. Therefore, it is crucial to analyze metabolites at the single-cell level to gain a more comprehensive understanding of metabolic heterogeneity. In this study, we employed a 3D-printed ionization source for metabolite analysis in both mice and human pancreatic cancer cells at the single-cell level. Using advanced machine learning algorithms and mass spectral feature selection, we successfully identified 23 distinct metabolites that are statistically significantly different in KRAS mutant human pancreatic cancer cells and mouse acinar cells bearing the oncogenic KRAS mutation. These metabolites encompass a variety of chemical classes, including organic nitrogen compounds, organic acids and derivatives, organoheterocyclic compounds, benzenoids, and lipids. These findings shed light on the metabolic remodeling associated with KRAS-driven pancreatic cancer initiation and indicate that the identified metabolites hold promise as potential diagnostic markers for early detection in pancreatic cancer patients.

PMID:38471062 | DOI:10.1021/acs.analchem.3c05741

J Clin Oncol. 2024 Mar 12:JCO2302474. doi: 10.1200/JCO.23.02474. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) improves outcomes for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) harboring an internal tandem duplication mutation of FLT3 (FLT3-ITD) AML. These patients are routinely treated with a FLT3 inhibitor after HCT, but there is limited evidence to support this. Accordingly, we conducted a randomized trial of post-HCT maintenance with the FLT3 inhibitor gilteritinib (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02997202) to determine if all such patients benefit or if detection of measurable residual disease (MRD) could identify those who might benefit.

METHODS: Adults with FLT3-ITD AML in first remission underwent HCT and were randomly assigned to placebo or 120 mg once daily gilteritinib for 24 months after HCT. The primary end point was relapse-free survival (RFS). Secondary end points included overall survival (OS) and the effect of MRD pre- and post-HCT on RFS and OS.

RESULTS: Three hundred fifty-six participants were randomly assigned post-HCT to receive gilteritinib or placebo. Although RFS was higher in the gilteritinib arm, the difference was not statistically significant (hazard ratio [HR], 0.679 [95% CI, 0.459 to 1.005]; two-sided P = .0518). However, 50.5% of participants had MRD detectable pre- or post-HCT, and, in a prespecified subgroup analysis, gilteritinib was beneficial in this population (HR, 0.515 [95% CI, 0.316 to 0.838]; P = .0065). Those without detectable MRD showed no benefit (HR, 1.213 [95% CI, 0.616 to 2.387]; P = .575).

CONCLUSION: Although the overall improvement in RFS was not statistically significant, RFS was higher for participants with detectable FLT3-ITD MRD pre- or post-HCT who received gilteritinib treatment. To our knowledge, these data are among the first to support the effectiveness of MRD-based post-HCT therapy.

PMID:38471061 | DOI:10.1200/JCO.23.02474

Neurology. 2024 Apr 9;102(7):e209173. doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000209173. Epub 2024 Mar 12.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The association between statin use and the risk of intracranial hemorrhage (ICrH) following ischemic stroke (IS) or transient ischemic attack (TIA) in patients with cerebral microbleeds (CMBs) remains uncertain. This study investigated the risk of recurrent IS and ICrH in patients receiving statins based on the presence of CMBs.

METHODS: We conducted a pooled analysis of individual patient data from the Microbleeds International Collaborative Network, comprising 32 hospital-based prospective studies fulfilling the following criteria: adult patients with IS or TIA, availability of appropriate baseline MRI for CMB quantification and distribution, registration of statin use after the index stroke, and collection of stroke event data during a follow-up period of ≥3 months. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of recurrent symptomatic stroke (IS or ICrH), while secondary endpoints included IS alone or ICrH alone. We calculated incidence rates and performed Cox regression analyses adjusting for age, sex, hypertension, atrial fibrillation, previous stroke, and use of antiplatelet or anticoagulant drugs to explore the association between statin use and stroke events during follow-up in patients with CMBs.

RESULTS: In total, 16,373 patients were included (mean age 70.5 ± 12.8 years; 42.5% female). Among them, 10,812 received statins at discharge, and 4,668 had 1 or more CMBs. The median follow-up duration was 1.34 years (interquartile range: 0.32-2.44). In patients with CMBs, statin users were compared with nonusers. Compared with nonusers, statin therapy was associated with a reduced risk of any stroke (incidence rate [IR] 53 vs 79 per 1,000 patient-years, adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 0.68 [95% CI 0.56-0.84]), a reduced risk of IS (IR 39 vs 65 per 1,000 patient-years, aHR 0.65 [95% CI 0.51-0.82]), and no association with the risk of ICrH (IR 11 vs 16 per 1,000 patient-years, aHR 0.73 [95% CI 0.46-1.15]). The results in aHR remained consistent when considering anatomical distribution and high burden (≥5) of CMBs.

DISCUSSION: These observational data suggest that secondary stroke prevention with statins in patients with IS or TIA and CMBs is associated with a lower risk of any stroke or IS without an increased risk of ICrH.

CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class III evidence that for patients with IS or TIA and CMBs, statins lower the risk of any stroke or IS without increasing the risk of ICrH.

PMID:38471056 | DOI:10.1212/WNL.0000000000209173

J Chem Inf Model. 2024 Mar 12. doi: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c02054. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

The protein-ligand binding free energy is a central quantity in structure-based computational drug discovery efforts. Although popular alchemical methods provide sound statistical means of computing the binding free energy of a large breadth of systems, they are generally too costly to be applied at the same frequency as end point or ligand-based methods. By contrast, these data-driven approaches are typically fast enough to address thousands of systems but with reduced transferability to unseen systems. We introduce DrΔG-Net (or simply Dragnet), an equivariant graph neural network that can blend ligand-based and protein-ligand data-driven approaches. It is based on a 3D fingerprint representation of the ligand alone and in complex with the protein target. Dragnet is a global scoring function to predict the binding affinity of arbitrary protein-ligand complexes, but can be easily tuned via transfer learning to specific systems or end points, performing similarly to common 2D ligand-based approaches in these tasks. Dragnet is evaluated on a total of 28 validation proteins with a set of congeneric ligands derived from the Binding DB and one custom set extracted from the ChEMBL Database. In general, a handful of experimental binding affinities are sufficient to optimize the scoring function for a particular protein and ligand scaffold. When not available, predictions from physics-based methods such as absolute free energy perturbation can be used for the transfer learning tuning of Dragnet. Furthermore, we use our data to illustrate the present limitations of data-driven modeling of binding free energy predictions.

PMID:38470995 | DOI:10.1021/acs.jcim.3c02054

Haemophilia. 2024 Mar 12. doi: 10.1111/hae.14988. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Activity wristbands have been shown to be effective in relation to self-monitoring activity levels and increasing exercise adherence. However, previous reports have been based on short-term follow-ups in people with haemophilia (PWH).

AIM: (1) To evaluate compliance with physical activity (PA) recommendations in PWH during a 1-year follow-up period using activity wristbands to record daily steps and intensity; (2) To determine the effect of PA self-monitoring on clinical outcomes.

METHODS: A prospective observational study was conducted in 27 adults with severe haemophilia undergoing prophylactic treatment. The Fitbit Charge HR was used to track daily PA for an entire year. The participants were encouraged to try to reach a goal of 10,000 steps/day and to track their progress. The pre- and post-evaluation included quality of life (A36 Hemophilia-QoL Questionnaire), joint health (Haemophilia Joint Health Score), functionality (Timed Up and Go test), and muscle strength.

RESULTS: A total of 323.63 (95%CI: 194-364) valid days (i.e., > 2000 steps) were recorded. The annual average number of steps per day taken by participants was 10,379. Sixteen (59%) PWH reached 10,000 steps/day at baseline and 17 (63%) at 1 year follow-up, with no significant differences (x² = .33; p = .56). A statistically significant improvement was observed in daily moderate activity time (p = .012) and in the ‘physical health’ quality of life subscale (mean difference: 2.15 points; 95%CI: .64-3.65; p = .007).

CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that patients with severe haemophilia who self-managed their PA can improve their long-term quality of life in the domain of physical health and also the daily time spent in moderate-intensity PA.

PMID:38470981 | DOI:10.1111/hae.14988