Toward Renewable Water Treatments: Efficient and Sustainable Cationic Cellulose Nanofiber Flocculants Derived from Rice Straw.

Flocculants are essential for removing pollutants from wastewater, yet conventional organic and inorganic types often lack renewability and pose risks of secondary pollution. In this study, a cationic cellulose nanofiber (CCNF) flocculant was developed from rice straw, offering enhanced flocculation performance, sustainability, and environmental compatibility. The cellulose nanofiber was extracted and cationically modified under mild conditions.

A Novel Class of Multi-substituted Diaryl Scaffold Derivatives Inhibit Glioblastoma Progression by Targeting CD155.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most formidable malignancy in the brain, characterized by a significant resistance to treatment. The immune targeting of glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) holds great promise. In this study, structural modifications of the lead compound clofoctol is conducted and structure-activity relationship analyses are performed against GBM, yielding a novel blood-brain barrier-permeable compound, B7, featuring a pivotal multi-substituted diaryl scaffold.

Virus-mimicking nanoparticle potentiates in-situ cancer vaccines by reversing intratumoral DCs via stimulating cytosolic nucleic acid sensors.

The major challenge for in-situ cancer vaccines is to activate the dendritic cells (DCs) within the immunosuppressive tumor to initiate tumor-specific immune responses. By contrast, oncolytic viruses can always activate intratumoral DCs to initiate virus-specific immunity to eliminate viruses which will in turn reduce the anti-tumor effect of these viruses. To bridge the two approaches, we developed virus-mimicking nanoparticle (V-mimic) through self-assembly of artificial cyclic gadolinium-based GAMP (c·Gd·GAMP, a STING agonist), double-stranded RNA analog (Poly I:C), and indocyanine green (ICG).

LncRNA SERPINB9P1 Mitigates Cerebral Injury Induced by Oxygen‒Glucose Deprivation/Reoxygenation by Interacting with HSPA2.

Dysregulation of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) is implicated in the pathophysiology of ischemic stroke (IS). However, the molecular mechanism of the lncRNA SERPINB9P1 in IS remains unclear. Our study aimed to explore the role and molecular mechanism of the lncRNA SERPINB9P1 in IS.

Association between the levels of toxic heavy metals and schizophrenia in the population of Guangxi, China: A case-control study.

The relationship between body levels of heavy metals and the risk of schizophrenia remains unclear. This study investigates the relationship between plasma levels of toxic heavy metals and the risk of schizophrenia among adults in Guangxi, China. Plasma concentrations of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), and chromium (Cr) were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

Multifunctional nanoparticles potentiate in-situ tumor vaccines via reversing insufficient Photothermal therapy by disrupting tumor vasculature.

Photothermal therapy can trigger immunogenic cell death and release personalized in-situ tumor vaccine, activating immune responses to eliminate systemic tumors beyond the irradiated zone. However, the immune response of the in-situ tumor vaccines is often undermined by the residual tumor cells and their induced immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), which is attributed to insufficient photothermal effects stemming from the limited accumulation of photosensitizers. To overcome these limitations, we developed multi-functional nanoparticles (VI@Gd-NPs) that integrate a tumor vasculature-specific disrupting agent (Vadimezan, Phase III clinical drug), a photosensitizer (Indocyanine Green, ICG), and a magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent (Gadolinium, Gd) through chemical self-assembly.

Identification of Key Genes Mediated by N6-Methyladenosine Methyltransferase METTL3 in Ischemic Stroke via Bioinformatics Analysis and Experiments.

The N6-methyladenosine (mA) methyltransferase METTL3 has been demonstrated to function in mediating mA modification, but its role in ischemic stroke (IS) has not been fully elucidated. This study aimed to explore the downstream mechanism of METTL3-mediated mA modification in IS. GSE16561 and GSE22255 were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database for analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs), and it was found that METTL3 mRNA was downregulated in IS.

Peptide Characterization of Bovine Myocardium Hydrolysates and Its Ameliorative Effects on Doxorubicin-Induced Myocardial Injury in H9c2 Cells and in Mice.

The prevalence and mortality of heart disease have a persistent existence, and it is important to develop active substances with cardioprotective properties. It has been reported that peptides from animal heart hydrolysates possess cardioprotective activity, but those mechanisms and the sequence of peptides are still unrevealed. In the present study, the extracts of bovine myocardium were prepared by enzymatic hydrolysis (BHH-A) and water extraction (BHH-W).

Exosomal circCNOT6L Regulates Astrocyte Apoptotic Signals Induced by Hypoxia Exposure Through miR99a-5p/SERPINE1 and Alleviates Ischemic Stroke Injury.

Circular RNAs are involved in intervention strategies for treating ischemic stroke (IS). However, circCNOT6L (hsa_circ_0006168) has not yet been reported in IS. Thus, we aimed to explore the potential role of circCNOT6L and its molecular mechanism in IS.

Efficient photocatalytic degradation of ciprofloxacin by graphite felt-supported MnS/Polypyrrole composite: Dominant reactive species and reaction mechanisms.

The accumulation of antibiotics in aquatic environments poses a serious threat to human health. Photocatalytic degradation is a promising method for removing antibiotics from water, but its practical implementation requires improvements in photocatalyst activity and recovery. Here, a novel graphite felt-supported MnS/Polypyrrole composite (MnS/PPy/GF) was constructed to achieve effective adsorption of antibiotics, stable loading of photocatalyst, and rapid separation of spatial charge.

Safety and Risk Factors of Needle Thoracentesis Decompression in Tension Pneumothorax in Patients over 75 Years Old.

Background: There are very few professional recommendations or guidelines on the needle thoracentesis decompression (NTD) for the tension pneumothorax in the elderly. This study aimed to investigate the safety and risk factors of tension pneumothorax NTD in patients over 75 years old based on CT evaluation of the chest wall thickness (CWT).

Methods: The retrospective study was conducted among 136 in-patients over 75 years old.

What alleviates depression among medical workers in emergency risk events? The function of subjective social status.

Medical workers often face serious family-work conflicts and are prone to depressive symptoms. The present study aimed at investigating associations between family-work conflict and depression in emergencies, and at exploring psychological processes involved in this association. A total of 1347 participants were recruited to complete questionnaires.

Bioinformatics analysis based on high-throughput sequencing data to identify hub genes related to different clinical types of COVID-19.

This article aims to explore hub genes related to different clinical types of cases with COVID-19 and predict the therapeutic drugs related to severe cases. The expression profile of GSE166424 was divided into four data sets according to different clinical types of COVID-19 and then calculated the differential expression genes (DEGs). The specific genes of four clinical types of COVID-19 were obtained by Venn diagram and conducted enrichment analysis, protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks analysis, screening hub genes, and ROC curve analysis.

The anti-inflammatory effect of vasoactive peptides from soybean protein hydrolysates by mediating serum extracellular vesicles-derived miRNA-19b/CYLD/TRAF6 axis in the vascular microenvironment of SHRs.

The excessive accumulation of angiotensin II (Ang II) in the vascular microenvironment promotes vascular dysfunction including vascular endothelial inflammation and remodeling. In the present study, a soybean protein hydrolysate enriching with vasoactive peptides was prepared and explored the anti-inflammatory effects on the aorta of spontaneous hypertensive rats (SHRs). The soybean-derived vasoactive peptide (SVP) significantly reduced the blood pressure and attenuated inflammation of the aorta in SHRs.

Exploring biomarkers for ischemic stroke through integrated microarray data analysis.

Stroke is the third leading cause of disability-adjusted life years worldwide, and drugs available for its treatment are limited. This study aimed to explore high-confidence candidate genes associated with ischemic stroke (IS) through bioinformatics analysis and identify potential diagnostic biomarkers and gene-drug interactions. Weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA) and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were integrated to identify overlapping genes.

Aromatic Schiff bases confer inhibitory efficacy against New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase-1 (NDM-1).

The irregular use of antibiotics has created a natural selection pressure for bacteria to adapt resistance. Bacterial resistance caused by metallo-β-lactamases (MβLs) has been the most prevalent in terms of posing a threat to human health. The New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase-1 (NDM-1) has been shown to be capable of hydrolyzing almost all β-lactams.

Coupled sulfur and electrode-driven autotrophic denitrification for significantly enhanced nitrate removal.

Elemental sulfur (S)-based autotrophic denitrification (SAD) has gained intensive attention in the treatment of secondary effluent for its low cost, high efficiency, and good stability. However, in practice, the supplementary addition of limestone is necessary to balance the alkalinity consumption during SAD operation, which increases water hardness and reduces the effective reaction volume. In this study, a coupled sulfur and electrode-driven autotrophic denitrification (SEAD) process was proposed with superior nitrate removal performance, less accumulation of sulfate, and self-balance of acidity-alkalinity capacity by regulating the applied voltage.

Electrochemical removal and recovery of uranium: Effects of operation conditions, mechanisms, and implications.

Removing and recovering uranium (U) from U-mining wastewater would be appealing, which simultaneously reduces the adverse environmental impact of U mining activities and mitigates the depletion of conventional U resources. In this study, we demonstrate the application of a constant-voltage electrochemical (CVE) method for the removal and recovery of U from U-mining wastewater, in an ambient atmosphere. The effects of operation conditions were elucidated in synthetic U-bearing water experiments, and the cell voltage and the ionic strength were found to play important roles in both the U extraction kinetics and the operation cost.

Effect of hydrothermal pretreatment on the degrease performance and liquid substances transformation of kitchen waste.

Hydrothermal treatment (HT) is a pragmatic approach for pretreatment of kitchen waste (KW). This work investigated the effect of hydrothermal pretreatment (HTP) on the deoiling, desalting and liquid substances transformation of KW. The orthogonal test method was used to study the effects of three factors at five levels, including solid to liquid ratio (A), heating time (B) and hydrothermal temperature (C).

Interfacial Covalent Bonding Endowing Ti C -Sb S Composites High Sodium Storage Performance.

Antimony sulfide is attracting enormous attention due to its remarkable theoretical capacity as anode for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs). However, it still suffers from poor structural stability and sluggish reaction kinetics. Constructing covalent chemical linkage to anchor antimony sulfide on two-dimension conductive materials is an effective strategy to conquer the challenges.

How Family-Work Conflict Influences Post-traumatic Growth Among Medical Workers: A Moderated Mediation Model.

Under the impact of COVID-19, the status and mechanisms of post-traumatic growth among medical workers facing challenges related to family-work conflict are of great concern. In view of the complex relationship between family-work conflict and post-traumatic growth, the present study sought to explore the specific relationships between family-work conflict and post-traumatic growth as well as the specific roles of positive psychological capital, perceived social support, and suppression. We recruited 1,347 participants.

Efficient and durable uranium extraction from uranium mine tailings seepage water via a photoelectrochemical method.

Current photocatalytic uranium (U) extraction methods have intrinsic obstacles, such as the recombination of charge carriers, and the deactivation of catalysts by extracted U. Here we show that, by applying a bias potential on the photocatalyst, the photoelectrochemical (PEC) method can address these limitations. We demonstrate that, owing to efficient spatial charge-carriers separation driven by the applied bias, the PEC method enables efficient and durable U extraction.

Conversion of bile salts from inferior emulsifier to efficient smart emulsifier assisted by negatively charged nanoparticles at low concentrations.

Bile salts (BS), one of the biological amphiphiles, are usually used as solubilizing/emulsifying agents of lipids or drugs. However, BS such as sodium deoxycholate (NaDC) can't stabilize an oil-in-water (O/W) emulsion alone due to its unusual molecular structure. In this paper we report that these emulsifiers with poor emulsifying ability can be transformed to highly efficient emulsifiers by combining with negatively charged particles (silica or montmorillonite).