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Most popular vegetables and fruits and their corresponding soil from the sub-urban industrial area of Bangladesh were collected and the concentration of carcinogenic (Pb, As, and Cd) and non-carcinogenic (Fe, Co, V, Cu, Cr, Zn, Mn, and Ni) heavy metals was determined. Health risk was evaluated by estimating daily heavy metal intake and computing cancer and non-cancer risks (ILCR and THQ) using probabilistic risk assessment model of US-EPA. Heavy metals in vegetables varied with vegetable species as well as metal types. Higher daily intake of As, Fe, Mn, and Pb was observed from the consumption of root and leafy vegetables. Moreover, the probability of an adult for developing cancer from the consumption of studied vegetables was greater than US-EPA threshold risk limit (>10−4) for As and Cd. In addition, cumulative cancer risk (∑ILCR) of all the studied vegetables and fruits exceeded the limit for fruit, root, leafy vegetables, and fruits (22, 15, 59, and 4%) with As, Cd, and Pb as 17, 81, and 2%, respectively. Non-cancer risk index also presented Pb, As, Mn, and Fe as the dominant contaminants of root and leafy vegetables that contributed 80–90% of HI. It suggests that the study area is unsuitable for growing leafy and root vegetables due to the risk of higher intakes of heavy metals which affect food safety. Mn, Pb, Fe, and As are the most predominant heavy metals posing non-cancer risk while Cd caused the highest cancer risk.

Somatic mutation of RUNX1 is implicated in various hematological malignancies, including myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and previous studies using mouse models disclosed its critical roles in hematopoiesis. However, the role of RUNX1 in human hematopoiesis has never been tested in experimental settings. Familial platelet disorder (FPD)/AML is an autosomal dominant disorder caused by germline mutation of RUNX1 , marked by thrombocytopenia and propensity to acute leukemia. To investigate the physiological function of RUNX1 in human hematopoiesis and pathophysiology of FPD/AML, we derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from three distinct FPD/AML pedigrees (FPD-iPSCs) and examined their defects in hematopoietic differentiation. By in vitro differentiation assays, FPD-iPSCs were clearly defective in the emergence of hematopoietic progenitors and differentiation of megakaryocytes, and overexpression of wild-type (WT)- RUNX1 reversed most of these phenotypes. We further demonstrated that overexpression of mutant- RUNX1 in WT-iPSCs did not recapitulate the phenotype of FPD-iPSCs, showing that the mutations were of loss-of-function type. Taken together, this study demonstrated that haploinsufficient RUNX1 allele imposed cell-intrinsic defects on hematopoietic differentiation in human experimental settings and revealed differential impacts of RUNX1 dosage on human and murine megakaryopoiesis. FPD-iPSCs will be a useful tool to investigate mutant RUNX1 -mediated molecular processes in hematopoiesis and leukemogenesis.

Intravenous sedation (IVS) with propofol (PPF) is commonly performed in dental treatment, particular in patients with dentophobia, with gag reflex, or undergoing implant surgeries, as PPF has the advantages of rapid induction and recovery. However, PPF and other intravenous sedatives may cause respiratory depression. Thus, IVS with PPF requires oxygen administration. But airway burn may occur when high-concentration oxygen is stored in the oral cavity and catches fire. For these reasons, the present study aimed to elucidate the changes in oxygen concentration (OC) under IVS with PPF and oxygen administration. Nineteen healthy male volunteers participated in the study. None of them had missing teeth, nasal congestion, or temporomandibular joint dysfunction. They were sedated with a continuous PPF infusion dose of 6 mg/kg/hr for 25 min, followed by administration of 3 L/min oxygen via a nasal cannula. The OC was measured at two sites, namely, the median maxillary anterior teeth (MMAT) and median maxillary soft palate (MMSP), before PPF infusion (baseline) and 14, 15-18 (Term 1), 19, and 20-23 (Term 2) min after the start of infusion. Compared with the values at baseline, the OC in the MMSP significantly increased at each time point, whereas the OC in the MMAT significantly increased at Term 2. Furthermore, in the comparison of the OC before and after the use of a mouth prop, the OC exhibited an upward trend, but no statistically significant differences were observed between the two time points in the MMAT and MMSP. In IVS with PPF and oxygen administration, the OC in the pharynx increases as the sedative level deepens. Oxygen administration should be temporarily discontinued, and suction should be performed to decrease the OC in the oral cavity when sparking procedures during IVS with PPF and oxygen administration are performed.

Zinc-finger E-box binding homeobox 1 ( ZEB1 ) is a candidate tumor-suppressor gene in adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL). ZEB1 binds phosphorylated Smad2/3 to enhance transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) signaling. In addition to downregulation of ZEB1 mRNA, we found overexpression of inhibitory Smad, Smad7, in resistance of ATLL cells to growth suppression by TGF-β1. A protein complex of Smad7 and histone deacetylase constantly bound to the promoter region of TGF-β1 responsive genes with the Smad-responsive element (SRE) to inhibit TGF-β1 signaling; however, ectopic expression of ZEB1 reactivated TGF-β1 signaling by binding to Smad7 and recruiting the Smad3/p300 histone acetyltransferase complex to the promoter after TGF-β1 stimulation in ATLL. Conversely, because ZEB1 mRNA was detected in the late stages of T-cell development, we used CTLL2 cells with ZEB1 expression, a murine peripheral T-cell lymphoma, and found that a complex of Smad3, Smad7 and ZEB1 was bound to the SRE of the p21 CDKN1A promoter after the induction of Smad7 by TGF-β1 treatment. Because the duration of TGF-β1-induced transcriptional activation of PAI-1 and p21 was shortened in shZEB1-expressing CTLL2 cells, ZEB1 may have a role in enhancing TGF-β1 signaling by binding not only to Smad3 but also to Smad7 in the nucleus. Altogether, these results suggest that both ZEB1 downregulation and Smad7 overexpression contribute to resistance to TGF-β1-mediated growth suppression in ATLL.

Superconducting circuits offer a scalable platform for the construction of large-scale quantum networks, where information can be encoded in multiple temporal modes of propagating microwaves. Characterization of such microwave signals with a method extendable to an arbitrary number of temporal modes with a single detector and demonstration of their phase-robust nature are of great interest. Here, we show the on-demand generation and Wigner tomography of a microwave time-bin qubit with superconducting circuit quantum electrodynamics architecture. We perform the tomography with a single heterodyne detector by dynamically switching the measurement quadrature independently for two temporal modes through the pump phase of a phase-sensitive amplifier. We demonstrate that the time-bin encoding scheme relies on the relative phase between the two modes and does not need a shared phase reference between sender and receiver.

Circadian rhythms of behavior are driven by oscillators in the brain that are coupled to the environmental light cycle. Circadian rhythms of gene expression occur widely in peripheral organs. It is unclear how these multiple rhythms are coupled together to form a coherent system. To study such coupling, we investigated the effects of cycles of food availability (which exert powerful entraining effects on behavior) on the rhythms of gene expression in the liver, lung, and suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN). We used a transgenic rat model whose tissues express luciferase in vitro. Although rhythmicity in the SCN remained phase-locked to the light-dark cycle, restricted feeding rapidly entrained the liver, shifting its rhythm by 10 hours within 2 days. Our results demonstrate that feeding cycles can entrain the liver independently of the SCN and the light cycle, and they suggest the need to reexamine the mammalian circadian hierarchy. They also raise the possibility that peripheral circadian oscillators like those in the liver may be coupled to the SCN primarily through rhythmic behavior, such as feeding.

 To evaluate (i) the in vitro activity of eugenol (EUG) and three derivatives against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) and other bacteria, (ii) the EUG and antituberculosis drugs combinatory effect and (iii) the EUG and its derivatives cytotoxicity.  Minimum inhibitory concentration of the compounds were determined by resazurin microtiter or broth microdilution assay and the drug interaction between EUG and antituberculosis drugs by resazurin drug combination microtiter. The cytotoxicity was carried out in macrophages, HeLa and VERO cells. Results: EUG and derivatives displayed activity and synergic effect of EUG combined with rifampicin, isoniazid, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide in Mtb including multidrug-resistant isolates, with more selectivity to bacillus than macrophages, HeLa and VERO cells (selective index from 0.65 to 31.4). EUG derivatives (4-allyl-2-methoxyphenyl acetate, 4-allyl-2-methoxyphenyl benzoate, and 4-allyl-2-methoxyphenyl 4-nitrobenzoate) were more active against nontuberculous mycobacteria than EUG. EUG and derivatives exhibited low activity in other Gram-positive and -negative bacteria. EUG and its derivatives show activity against Mycobacterium spp. and synergic effect of EUG combined with antituberculosis drugs against Mtb.

In clinical scenarios like wisdom tooth extractions, compressed air may infiltrate tissue gaps or venous vessels. We observed a patient who developed a pulmonary air embolism secondary to subcutaneous emphysema (SE) during a wisdom tooth extraction performed with an air turbine. The patient required immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and was successfully revived from pulseless electrical activity (PEA). This case was a 47-year-old female, and upper and lower pericoronitis on the right side and multiple dental caries were noted. Due to her intellectual disabilities (ID), so the extraction of the upper and lower right wisdom teeth was scheduled under general anesthesia. At approximately 10 minutes after starting the oral surgery, the monitor showed plethysmograph and the end-tidal carbon dioxide (E CO ) waveform disappeared following the sudden drop in SpO . Based on these findings, cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA) was diagnosed, and PEA was confirmed on the ECG. CPR was immediately initiated on the dental unit. However, because the dental unit remained in a supine position, it sank with each chest compression. To stabilize the surface and prevent vertical movement, a dental chair was placed under the backrest of the dental unit. Approximately 3 minutes after starting CPR, the SpO plethysmograph reappeared on the monitor during artificial ventilation. A CT scan was performed, and she was diagnosed pulmonary air embolism resulting from SE caused by the use of an air turbine with compressed air. This case highlights that SE can easily occur when using an air turbine with compressed air in dental procedures. In severe instances, an air embolism resulting from SE may lead to CPA. Therefore, caution is needed when using dental instruments and drills that utilized compressed air during dental procedures.

Concentrations of heavy metals leach from soil and rock excavated at civil engineering construction sites occasionally exceed the environmental criteria value in Japan. The phytoremediation is one of the techniques for cleaning up contaminated environments. The Eleocharis acicularis is tolerant plant of a wide variety of heavy metals, and it absorbs and accumulates these metals and has been proven to be effective in mine effluent treatment. In this study, we conducted a purification experiment using an artificial channel to know the ability of the E. acicularis to absorb and accumulate heavy metals due to differences in temperature. The drainage containing arsenic flowing out of the embankment flowed into the artificial channel at different periods of average temperature. As a result of experiments, the arsenic content of the E. acicularis were confirmed increasing in 3.4 mg/kg in the summer and 2.3 mg/kg in the winter. These values are corresponding with 0.8% in the summer and in 0.3% in the winter for the arsenic gross weight of the displacement according to each season. Thus, the arsenic absorption ability of the E. acicularis was able to grasp by the artificial channel experiment.

The current study was performed to understand the relationship between graft length placed within the bone tunnel and intraosseous graft healing in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Twenty‐four adult beagle dogs were divided into two groups of 12 animals each. In each animal, ACL reconstruction using a 4‐mm diameter autogenous flexor tendon graft was done in the left knee. In groups I and II, the graft having a length of 15 and 5 mm, respectively, was placed within the tibial tunnel. The proximal end of the graft was placed through the over‐the‐top route in all animals. In each group, five animals were sacrificed immediately after surgery, and the remaining seven were sacrificed at 6 weeks postoperatively. Biomechanical and histologic evaluations were performed. In pull out testing, the ultimate failure load and the linear stiffness of the graft‐tibia complex harvested at 6 weeks were significantly greater than those harvested at the time‐zero period. There were no significant differences in those parameters between groups I and II at 6 weeks. In each group, the perpendicular collagen fibers connecting the tendon to the bone tunnel wall were observed only in the narrow area located close to the intra‐articular tunnel outlet. In conclusion, excessively long placement of the flexor graft within the bone tunnel does not result in an additional increase of anchoring strength and stiffness of the graft in ACL reconstruction.