Search

Background: The efficacy and safety of dabigatran etexilate for Chinese patients with cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) has not been well established., Methods: CHOICE-CVT was an exploratory, single-center, randomized, open-label study in the National Center for Neurological Disorders involving Chinese patients with CVT aged 18 to 80 years who were randomly assigned (1:1) to either dabigatran etexilate or warfarin. Oral anticoagulants were initiated after 10-15 days of LMWH. The primary efficacy and safety endpoints included the number of patients with recurrent CVT and/or deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and major clinical bleeding within 180 days. Secondary efficacy endpoints included venous recanalization and change in papilledema at day 180. Secondary safety outcomes comprised death, clinical nonmajor bleeding, and any bleeding. The study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov under NCT03930940., Results: Between October 2017 and February 2023, a total of 89 patients were enrolled and randomly assigned to receive either dabigatran etexilate (n = 44) or warfarin (n = 45). At day 180, the dabigatran etexilate group showed a statistically nonsignificant but likely clinically significant number of patients with recurrent CVT and/or DVT (8 (18.2%; 95% CI, 6.3-30.0) vs 3 (6.7%; 95% CI, 0.0-14.2), p = 0.099, with a power (1-β) of 38.401%) compared with the warfarin group. The dabigatran etexilate group showed a comparable number of patients with clinical major bleeding (0 (0) vs 0 (0) p = 1.000), and clinical nonmajor bleeding (1 (2.3%; 95% CI, 0.0-6.9) vs 1 (2.2%; 95% CI, 0.0-6.7)) but demonstrated a lower risk of any bleeding (1 (2.3%; 95% CI, 0.0-6.9) vs 9 (20.0%; 95% CI, 7.8-32.2)) compared with the warfarin group. Most patients in both groups achieved venous recanalization according to the Modified Qureshi scale (27 (75%; 95% CI, 60.1-89.9) in the dabigatran etexilate group vs 34 (82.9%; 95% CI, 70.9-95.0) in the warfarin group) and exhibited improvement in papilledema as per the Frisén classification (35 (97.2%; 95% CI, 91.6-100.0) in the dabigatran etexilate group vs 37 (88.1%, 95% CI, 77.9-98.3) in the warfarin group)., Conclusions: These findings regarding efficacy and safety support the consideration of dabigatran etexilate therapy as a viable treatment option for Chinese patients with CVT., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Due to their assembly properties and variable molecular weights, the potential biological toxicity effects of macromolecular organic ligand heavy metal complexes are more difficult to predict and their mechanisms are more complex. This study unraveled the toxicity response and metabolic compensation mechanism of tannic acid-Cr(III) (TA-Cr(III)) complex on alga Raphidocelis subcapitata using multi-omics approaches. Results showed TA-Cr(III) complex caused oxidative damage and photosystem disruption, destroying the cell morphology and inhibiting algal growth by >80 % at high exposure levels. TA-Cr(III) complex stress down-regulated proteins linked to proliferation, photosynthesis and antioxidation while upregulating carbon fixation, TCA cycle and amino acid metabolism. The increase of fumarate, citrate, isocitrate and semialdehyde succinate was validated by metabolomics analysis, which improved the TCA cycle, amino acid metabolism and carbon fixation. Activation of the above cellular processes somewhat compensated for the inhibition of algal photosynthesis by TA-Cr(III) complex exposure. In conclusion, physiological toxicity coupled with downstream metabolic compensation in response to Cr(III) complex of macromolecular was characterized in Raphidocelis subcapitata, unveiling the adaptive mechanism of algae under the stress of heavy metal complexes with macromolecular organic ligands., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that we have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The severe negative effects of impurities adhering to the external surface of wearable devices can significantly influence the signal transmission, performance, and lifespan of hydrogel sensors. Herein, we developed an ion-conducting hydrogel sensor with a strong adhesive side and a non-adhesive side, similar to a "semi-releasing material." This hydrogel, formulated using deep eutectic solvents obtained from choline chloride and acrylic acid, contained lignin. This versatile material, exhibiting properties similar to semi-releasing materials, was treated with an AlCl 3 solution on one side. Additionally, the hydrogel was successfully used as a highly adhesive strain sensor for real-time monitoring of various human activity signals. Moreover, the hydrogel demonstrated excellent environmental tolerance and conductivity. Lignin extracted from wood flour endowed the hydrogel sensor with excellent adhesion energy (up to 427.1 J/m 2 ) and UV resistance. Treatment of hydrogels with AlCl 3 completely eliminated their adhesiveness, thereby enhancing fracture elongation and tensile strength. This improvement can be attributed to the absence of carboxyl groups and the formation of a metal-phenolic network. The implementation of this convenient and efficient strategy provides a more feasible approach to address challenges related to impurity adhesion and signal transmission in flexible wearable devices., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Electrochemically converting nitrate, a widely distributed nitrogen contaminant, into harmless N 2 is a feasible and environmentally friendly route to close the anthropogenic nitrogen-based cycle. However, it is currently hindered by sluggish kinetics and low N 2 selectivity, as well as scarce attention to reactor configuration. Here, we report a flow-through zero-gap electrochemical reactor that shows a high performance of nitrate reduction with 100% conversion and 80.36% selectivity of desired N 2 in the chlorine-free system at 100 mg-N·L -1 NO 3 - . More importantly, the mass transport and current utilization efficiency are significantly improved by shortening the inter-electrode distance, especially in the zero-gap electrocatalytic system where the current efficiency reached 50.15% at 5 mA·cm -1 . More importantly, the mass transport and current utilization efficiency are significantly improved by shortening the inter-electrode distance, especially in the zero-gap electrocatalytic system where the current efficiency reached 50.15% at 5 mA·cm -2 . Detailed characterizations demonstrated that during the electroreduction process, partial Cu(OH) 2 on the cathode surface was reconstructed into stable Cu/Cu 2 O as the active phase for efficient nitrate reduction. In situ characterizations revealed that the highly selective *NO to *N conversion and the N-N coupling step played crucial roles during the selective reduction of NO 3 - to N 2 in the zero-gap electrochemical system. In addition, theoretical calculations demonstrated that improving the key intermediate *N coverage could effectively facilitate the N-N coupling step, thereby promoting N 2 selectivity. Moreover, the environmental and economic benefits and long-term stability shown by the treatment of real nitrate-containing wastewater make our proposed electrocatalytic system more attractive for practical applications.

Patients with symptomatic intracranial arterial stenosis (sICAS) suffer embarrassed hemodynamic status and acute ischemic stroke (AIS) recurrence. We aimed to assess the efficacy of remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) on improving this status by evaluating cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebral glucose metabolism (CGM) via PET/CT. Adult patients with unilateral sICAS in middle cerebral artery and/or intracranial segment of internal carotid artery-related AIS or transient ischemic attack within 6 months prior to randomization were enrolled. Individuals who received intravenous thrombolysis or endovascular treatment, or sICAS caused by cardiac embolism, small vessel occlusion, or other determined causes were excluded. Twenty-three eligible patients were randomly assigned to standard medical treatment (SMT) (n = 10) or RIC group (n = 13). The RIC protocol consisted of 5 cycles, each for 5-min bilateral upper limb ischemia and 5-min reperfusion period, twice a day, with a total duration of 3 months. Ten healthy volunteers were enrolled as healthy control group. We tested CBF and CGM at the rest stage and the methazolamide-induced stress stage. All patients received PET/CT at baseline and three-month followup. Both CBF and CGM in ipsilateral hemisphere of sICAS patients were significantly decreased at the rest stage and the stress stage (p < .05), which were improved by three-month RIC (p < .05). The lesions decreased notably in RIC group compared to SMT group (p < .05). RIC ameliorated the hemodynamic status and glucose metabolism in regions at high risk of infarction, which might improve the resistance capacity towards ischemic load in sICAS patients., (© 2024 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

The secure and harmless disposal for Cr-bearing tannery sludge (Cr-TS) has attracted an increasing concern, due to potentially adverse effect on ecosystem and human health. A greener alternative method about "waste treatment with waste" for thermally stabilizing real Cr-TS was developed via employing coal fly ash (CA) as dopants in this research. The co-heat treatment of Cr-TS and CA was carried out at the temperature range of 600-1200 °C to investigate the oxidation of Cr(III), immobilization of chromium and leaching risk of the sintered products, and the mechanism of chromium immobilization was further explored. The results indicate that the doping of CA can significantly inhibit the oxidation of Cr(III) and immobilize chromium by incorporating chromium into spinel and uvarovite microcrystal. At the temperature higher than 1000 °C, most of chromium can be converted into stable crystalline phases. Furthermore, a prolonged leaching test was conducted to study the leaching toxicity of chromium in sintered products, indicating that leaching content of chromium is much less than the regulatory limit. This process is a feasible and promising alternative for immobilization of chromium in Cr-TS. The research findings are supposed to offer a theoretical foundation and strategy choice for thermal stabilization of chromium, as well as safety and harmless disposal of Cr-containing hazardous waste., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Organophosphate esters (OPEs) are widely distributed in surface water systems, but limited information was available on the spatial occurrence and ecological risks of OPEs in the Bohai Sea. In this study, 89 water samples in the Bohai Sea and the five surrounding rivers were investigated for the determination of 15 OPEs. The concentration of ∑ 15 OPEs ranged from 373.20 to 2931.27 ng·L -1 in the river water and 137.81 to 2641.30 ng·L -1 in the seawater, with high levels of OPEs in Liaodong Bay. Tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP, 10- 92 %) and triethyl phosphate (TEP, 5- 64 %) were dominant for OPEs. The correlation analysis, principal component analysis and hierarchical cluster analysis suggested the conjunction of municipal wastewater via river input and maritime shipping was the main source of OPEs in the Bohai Sea. The ecological risk assessment indicated that the individual OPEs arise low ecological risks in the Bohai Sea, while medium ecological risks of ∑ 15 OPEs are in minority river samples., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The electrochemical nitrate reduction reaction (NitRR) affords a sustainable way for nitrate mitigation and ammonia synthesis, but there are still some problems such as poor nitrate conversion, low ammonia selectivity, and slow reaction kinetics. A clear structure-performance relationship is essential for designing efficient catalysts and understanding the reaction mechanisms. Herein, ultrathin nickel metal-organic framework (Ni-MOF) nanosheets supported on Ni foam featuring a well-defined stable structure, large electrochemically active surface area, and low electron transport resistance were prepared by a one-step solvothermal process. At -1.4 V, the nitrate reduction, rate constant, ammonia selectivity, and yield reached 96.4%, 0.448 h -1 , 80%, and 110.13 ug·h -1 ·cm -2 , respectively. Experimental and theoretical studies demonstrated that the hydroxyl-ligated Ni atoms exhibited higher nitrate adsorption properties and lower activation energy towards NitRR compared to carboxylic acid-ligated Ni atoms. Mechanism investigations revealed a nitrate-to-ammonia reaction pathway involving multiple intermediate species on Ni-MOF nanosheet catalysts. This work offers a new avenue to construct highly efficient electrocatalysts for the selective transformation of nitrate to valuable ammonia., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To investigate the relationship between the initiation time of anticoagulation after endovascular treatment (EVT) and the outcomes in atrial fibrillation (AF)-related acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients., Methods: In this prospective registry study, from March 2013 to June 2022, patients with anterior circulation territories AF-related AIS who underwent EVT within 24 h were included. The primary outcome was favorable [modified Rankin Scale (mRS) 0-1) at ninety days and the secondary outcome was hemorrhage events after anticoagulants. Factors affecting the outcomes were pooled into multivariate regression and ROC curve analysis., Results: Of 234 eligible patients, there were 63 (26.9%) patients achieved a favorable outcome. The symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH), ICH, and systemic hemorrhage events after anticoagulants occurred in 8 (3.4%), 28 (12.0%), and 39 (16.7%) patients, severally. A longer EVT to anticoagulation time (p = 0.033) was associated with an unfavorable outcome (mRS 3-6). An earlier EVT to anticoagulation time was the independent risk factor of sICH (p = 0.043), ICH (p = 0.005), and systemic hemorrhage (p = 0.005). There was no significant difference in recurrent AIS/ transient ischemic attack (TIA) or mortality among patients who started anticoagulation at ≤ 4 days, ≥ 15 days, or 4 to 15 days. The optimum cut-off for initiating anticoagulants to predict a favorable outcome and hemorrhage events was 4.5 days and 3.5 days after EVT, respectively., Conclusions: In AF-related AIS, the time of EVT to anticoagulation is an independent factor of the functional outcome and hemorrhage events after anticoagulation. The optimal initiate time of anticoagulant after EVT is 4.5 days., Clinicaltrialregister: NCT03754738., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Aims: To investigate the predicted factors influencing the outcomes in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients who received tirofiban after endovascular treatment (EVT) and the optimal administration of tirofiban., Methods: In this retrospective study, AIS patients who received EVT followed by tirofiban between January 2017 and October 2021 were enrolled. The dose and duration of tirofiban were adjusted by trained clinicians according to the patient's clinical status. A reduction of at least four points on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) after tirofiban compared with that before tirofiban was defined as an effective response. A modified ranking scale (mRS) of 0-2 was defined as a favorable outcome at a 90-day follow-up., Results: A total of 260 consecutive patients were enrolled, and 36.5% of patients achieved a favorable outcome. The modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (mTICI) 2b-3 occurred in 93.5% of patients. Symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (sICH) occurred in 6.2% of patients, and the mortality at 90-day follow-up was 16.9%. Duration of tirofiban >24 h (adjusted OR: 2.545; 95% CI: 1.008-6.423; p = 0.048) and effective response to tirofiban (adjusted OR: 25.562; 95% CI: 9.794-66.715; p < 0.001) were related to the favorable outcome (mRS 0-2). Higher NIHSS (adjusted OR: 0.855; 95% CI: 0.809-0.904; p < 0.001) and glucose level on admission (adjusted OR: 0.843; 95% CI: 0.731-0.971; p = 0.018) were predictive for the unfavorable outcome (mRS 3-6)., Conclusions: An effective response to tirofiban is an independent factor in predicting the long-term efficacy outcome, and extending the duration of tirofiban is beneficial for neurological improvement., (© 2023 The Authors. CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The photochemical behavior of organic pollutants in ice is poorly studied in comparison to aqueous photochemistry. Here we report a detailed comparison of ice and aqueous photodegradation of two representative OH-PAHs, 2-hydroxyfluorene (2-OHFL) and 9-hydroxyfluorene (9-OHFL), which are newly recognized contaminants in the wider environment including colder regions. Interestingly, their photodegradation kinetics were clearly influenced by whether they reside in ice or water. Under the same simulated solar irradiation (λ > 290 nm), OHFLs photodegraded faster in ice than in equivalent aqueous solutions and this was attributed to the specific concentration effect caused by freezing. Furthermore, the presence of dissolved constituents in ice also influenced photodegradation with 2-OHFL phototransforming the fastest in 'seawater' ice (k = (11.4 ± 1.0) × 10 -2 min -1 ) followed by 'pure-water' ice ((8.7 ± 0.4) × 10 -2 min -1 ) and 'freshwater' ice ((8.0 ± 0.7) × 10 -2 min -1 ). The presence of dissolved constituents (specifically Cl - , NO 3 - , Fe(III) and humic acid) influences the phototransformation kinetics, either enhancing or suppressing phototransformation, but this is based on the quantity of the constituent present in the matrixes, the specific OHFL isomer and the matrix type (e.g., ice or aqueous solution). Careful derivation of key photointermediates was undertaken in both ice and water samples using tandem mass spectrometry. Ice phototransformation exhibited fewer by-products and 'simpler' pathways giving rise to a range of hydroxylated fluorenes and hydroxylated fluorenones in ice. These results are of importance when considering the fate of PAHs and OH-PAHs in cold regions and their persistence in sunlit ice., (Copyright © 2021. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

C-N bond formation takes on a critical significance in reactions of organic synthesis, material production and pharmaceutical manufactory. Chan-Lam has proposed a useful methodology to furnish secondary arylamides under mild conditions. However, when chiral sulfinamides serve as the coupling precursors, the Cu-catalyzed coupling reaction is found with low efficacy. Complex side-products are generated under classic conditions. Moreover, it led to the racemization of the coupling product. In this study, an optimized Ni-catalyzed Chan-Lam type coupling conditions were proposed, which resulted in clean conversion from chiral sulfinamides and arylboronic acids to offer N-aryl sulfinamides efficiently and enantioretentively. The trans-N 1 ,N 2 -dimethylcyclohexane-1,2-diamine was proven as the most efficient ligand. Under the optimized conditions, a series of chiral N-aryl sulfinamides was prepared with high chemical yield without racemization. Furthermore, a plausible and novel mechanism was proposed. Interestingly, the method could efficiently furnish a wide variety of C-X bonds by coupling arylboronic acids with different nucleophiles., (© 2022 Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

Chromium (Cr) is mainly found in the form of organic-Cr(III) complexes in the natural environment and industrial waste. The widespread existence of composite contaminants composed of organic matter (OM) and Cr pose a serious ecological threat, and its potential interaction and removal need to be further summarised. Organic ligands, such as carbohydrates, nitrogen compounds, phenolic compounds, humus substances (HS), and low molecular weight organic acids (LMWOAs), play an important role in governing the speciation, mobility, and absorption and desorption of Cr in the environment. Moreover, growing evidence indicates that oxygen-containing functional groups (e.g., carboxyl, hydroxyl, and phosphate) are closely related to the complexation of Cr(III). Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are efficient and widely applicable technologies. However, the re-complexation of oxidation intermediates with Cr(III) and the formation and accumulation of much more toxic Cr(VI) species hinder the possible utilisation of AOPs. In this paper, the sources and harmful effects of organic-Cr(III) complexes are reported in detail. The complexation behaviour and structure of the organic-Cr(III) complexes are also described. Subsequently, the application of AOPs in the decomplexation and degradation of organic-Cr(III) complexes is summarised. This review can be helpful for developing technologies that are more efficient for organic-Cr(III) complex removal and establishing the scientific background for reducing Cr discharge Cr into the environment., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Pyrethroids are increasingly receiving attention as aqueous micropollutants, but their presence has been reported only in a few small coastal areas. In this study, we investigated the distribution, sources, and risks of nine pyrethroids in large marine zones. The 40 seawater samples were collected from the South Yellow Sea (SYS) and East China Sea (ECS) in China, during the spring of 2020, using a high-volume, solid-phase extraction method. The total pyrethroid concentrations ranged from 0.72 to 1.82 ng L -1 in the SYS and from 0.02 to 11.0 ng L -1 in the ECS. We used cluster analysis to classify pollutant sources into five categories, and discussed the influence of sources on the transport and distribution of pyrethroids in each group. Ecological risk assessment indicated that pyrethroids pose a high risk to crustaceans and a negligible risk to others. These results are important for understanding the behavior of pyrethroids in marine environments., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Cement-stabilized dredged sediment (CDS) when used as a new road construction material cannot only solve the problem of abandoned sediment disposal, but also effectively save natural soil resources. This study aimed to evaluate the strength and permeability of CDS and establish corresponding prediction models from the perspective of a stabilization mechanism. The soil-water composition and pore size distribution were investigated by the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) technique. The results demonstrated that more liquid pore water inside the CDS specimen transformed into combined water with cement hydration. The amount of combined water, which essentially characterized the hydration process of cement, presented a linear relationship with log ( t ). The cementation and filling action of hydrates resulted in the transformation of large pores into smaller ones, hence the optimal pore size decreased with an increasing curing period and cement content. The stress-strain curves and hydraulic conductivity were determined based on unconfined compression and flexible wall penetration tests, respectively. The unconfined compressive strength increased exponentially with the amount of combined water, and the functional correlations of hydraulic conductivity and micropore parameters were established. The reliability of the NMR technique as a new method to study the microscopic evolution mechanism of the strength and permeability of CDS was further verified by scanning electron microscopy and mercury intrusion porosimetry tests.

Electrocatalytic oxidation is regarded as an effective technique for decomposing refractory organic compounds like perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA). However, achieving highly efficient and long-life electrodes is still a great challenge. Herein, Ti/RuO 2 -IrO 2 @Pt anodes consisting of Pt 4+ and Pt 0 species were fabricated by combining modified microemulsion technology with a calcination process, in which Pt nanoparticles were highly dispersed and encapsulated in Ru-Ir composite oxides to form a strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) structure. The as-constructed SMSI layer on the Ti/RuO 2 -IrO 2 @Pt anode resulted in the improvement of the charge transfer capability and also increased the degradation (99.30%) and mineralization (91.32%) of PFOA during the electrochemical oxidation process. Notably, the service lifetime of Ti/RuO 2 -IrO 2 @Pt anodes was remarkably improved from 24 to 42.3 h compared to commercial Ti/RuO 2 -IrO 2 anodes. Moreover, the possible degradation mechanism of PFOA was also speculated through the detection of short-chain perfluorocarboxylic acids and reactive radicals. These results not only revealed that the concept and methodology of SMSI could be an effective way for constructing highly efficient and stable electrocatalysts but also greatly advanced fundamental understanding.

Background: Despite the continuing effort in investigating the preventive therapies for stroke-associated pneumonia (SAP), which is closely associated with unfavorable outcomes, conclusively effective therapy for the prevention of SAP is still lacking. Remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) has been proven to improve the survival in the sepsis model and inflammatory responses have been indicated as important mechanisms involved in the multi-organ protection effect of RIC. This study aimed to assess the safety and the preliminary efficacy of RIC in the prevention of SAP in patients with acute ischemic stroke., Methods: We performed a proof-of-concept, pilot open-label randomized controlled trial. Eligible patients (age > 18 years) within 48 h after stroke onset between March 2019 and October 2019 with acute ischemic stroke were randomly allocated (1:1) to the RIC group and the control group. All participants received standard medical therapy. Patients in the RIC group underwent RIC twice daily for 6 consecutive days. The safety outcome included any adverse events associated with RIC procedures. The efficacy outcome included the incidence of SAP, changes of immunological profiles including mHLA-DR, TLR-2, and TLR-4 as well as other plasma parameters from routine blood tests., Results: In total, 46 patients aged 63.1 ± 12.5 years, were recruited (23 in each group). Overall, 19 patients in the RIC group and 22 patients in the control group completed this study. No severe adverse event was attributed to RIC procedures. The incidence of SAP was lower in the remote ischemic conditioning group (2 patients [10.5%]) than that in the control group (6 patients [27.3%]), but no significant difference was detected in both univariate and multivariate analysis ( p = 0.249 and adjusted p = 0.666). No significance has been found in this pilot trial in the level of immunological profiles HLA-DR, TLR4 and TLR2 expressed on monocytes as well as blood parameters tested through routine blood tests between the two groups ( p > 0.05). The IL-6 and IL-1β levels at day 5 after admission in the RIC group were lower than those in the control group ( p < 0.05)., Interpretation: This proof-of-concept pilot randomized controlled trial was to investigate RIC as a prevention method for SAP. Remote ischemic conditioning is safe in the prevention of SAP in patients with acute ischemic stroke. The preventive effect of RIC on SAP should be further validated in future studies., Competing Interests: XJ is one of the inventors of the electronic auto-control device that has been patented in China (ZL201420846209.5, China). The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Zhang, Zhao, Ma, Zhang, Che, Bian, Yan, Xu, Wang, Yu, Liu, Song, Duan, Chang, Ma, Zhang and Ji.)

A rapidly growing body of evidence supports that neuroinflammation plays a major role in epileptogenesis and disease progression. The capacity to identify pathological neuroinflammation in individuals with epilepsy is a crucial step on the timing of anti-inflammatory intervention and patient selection, which will be challenging aspects in future clinical studies. The discovery of noninvasive biomarkers that are accessible in the blood or molecular neuroimaging would facilitate clinical translation of experimental findings into humans. These innovative and noninvasive approaches have the advantage of monitoring the dynamic changes of neuroinflammation in epilepsy. Here, we will review the available evidence for the measurement of neuroinflammation in patients with epilepsy using noninvasive techniques and critically analyze the major scientific challenges of noninvasive methods. Finally, we propose the potential for use in clinical applications., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Hongrui Ma and Hua Lin.)

Wastewater from printing and dyeing processes often contains aniline and high salinity, which are hazardous to aquatic species. Glycophytic plants cannot survive under high-salinity conditions, whereas halophytes grow well in such an environment. In this study, we investigated the influence of NaCl on the antioxidant level in Suaeda salsa affected by aniline stress. The seedlings showed various growth toxicity effects under different concentrations of aniline. The results showed that the effect of the aniline was more severe for the root growth compared to that for the shoot growth. Aniline exposure significantly increased the total free radicals and ·OH radicals in the plants. Suaeda salsa exposure to aniline caused oxidative stress by altering the superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and peroxidase (POD) activity, which resulted in the overproduction of H 2 O 2 and the inducement of lipid peroxidation. Analysis revealed that the malondialdehyde (MDA) content was enhanced after aniline exposure and that the chlorophyll content was significantly decreased. The results showed that aniline induced the production of free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS), and changed the antioxidant defense system. This ultimately resulted in oxidative damage in S. salsa; however, it was found that moderate salinity could mitigate the effects. In conclusion, salinity may alleviate the growth inhibition caused by aniline by regulating the antioxidant capacity of S. salsa., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Humic-like substances are essential components of soluble organic matter in tannery wastewater. However, the tannery process can promote the abiotic humification in wastewater. Therefore, it is of great significance to clarify the pathway and degree of abiotic humification and the properties of the as-derived humic acid-like (HAL) complex polymers in the tannery process in order to control the refractory organic compounds. In the present study, considering the catechol-Maillard system and commercial humic acid (HA) as control, the polyphenol-Maillard humification in the tannery process was simulated under the catalysis of MnO 2 . Moreover, physicochemical and spectroscopic techniques were used to characterize the separated fractions of HAL further. As a result, it was found that the catechol-Maillard system with small molecule organic matter as precursor had higher humification degree. Furthermore, the ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), and excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectrum of humic acid-like 0 (HAL0) derived from it was different from those of humic acid-like 1 and 2 (HAL1 and HAL2) of polyphenol-Maillard system, indicating the differences of polymer structure between them. In the polyphenol-Maillard system, tannin was the skeleton of polymerization or polycondensation reaction, and the high content of N and the H/C value of HAL2 indicated that in adding to amino acids, proteins promoted the humification, forming industry-specific HAL polymers with a high degree of aliphatic nature. Therefore, it can be concluded that controlling the raw materials in the tannery process (especially tannins), in order to reduce the occurrence of abiotic humification may be the key to improve the efficiency of wastewater treatment.

Graphene Oxide (GO) has wide applications in many fields which has caused a large expected quantity of the graphene-based wastes. It is necessary to understand the toxic effects of the GO on the activated sludge (AS) considering its inevitable discharge to the wastewater treatment plants as the ultimate repositories for these wastes. In this study, the acute exposures of the multilayer Nano-graphene oxide (MNGO) at different dosages were conducted in order to investigate its integrated effects on the formation of the biofilm, mature biofilm and the microbial activity of the activated sludge. Raman spectroscopy and laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) were adopted for the in-situ characterization of the biofilm with the exposure of the MNGO. The results showed that the activated sludge was tolerable to the acute exposure of the less than 100 mg/L of the MNGO, especially for the mature biofilm, and only a subtle decrease was found in the size and thickness during the formation of the biofilm, while the amount of 300 mg/L of the MNGO caused the sever deterioration on the activated sludge system. The microbial metabolic activity, viability, and the biological removal of the nutrients were significantly affected with the more than 100 mg/L of the MNGO. It was also demonstrated by the microbial cytotoxicity tests that the increase in the exposure of the MNGO was related to the increase in the reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the damaging degree of the cell membrane., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In this study, in-situ Fenton oxidation was used for the de-complexation and degradation of tannin-Cr(III) complexes. Cr(III) can be oxidized into free Cr(VI) under the effect of ·OH and oxidation products of tannin can be used as reductant for Cr(VI) to establish a redox cycle of Cr(III)-Cr(VI)-Cr(III). Thus, it is crucial to investigate the interactions of Cr(III) with tannin derived oxidation products due to negligible accumulation of Cr(VI) during Fenton oxidation treatment. Here, sequential filtration/ultrafiltration was applied to reveal the distribution characteristics of TOC and Cr fractions during the oxidation of tannin-Cr(III). As the increase of colloidal size of tannic acid products, residual TOC and Cr mainly distribute in larger size range after the oxidation of tannin-Cr(III) which can be ascribed to re-complexation between oxidation products and Cr(III). Besides, analytical results indicate that carboxyl group and hydroxyl group in oxidation products may cause the re-complexation of Cr(III), resulting in the formation of highly conjugated materials containing Cr(III). It can be concluded that due attention should be paid to the efficient removal technology and mechanism for polymer-Cr complexes, as well as the oxidation intermediates in the role of conversion and removal of Cr species., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that we have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Sustainable recycling value-added metals from spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) has been supposed to be a promising alternative to alleviate the current environmental and resource issues. Reduced reagents consumption and closed-loop reutilization are still challenging in current prevailing recycling processes. This study proposed a novel recycling strategy involved with gradient extraction of valuable metals and closed-loop re-fabrication of cathode materials. Lithium was selectively recovered as lithium enriched lixivium in mild tartaric acidic medium with a high yield of 99.7 % and little co-extraction of transition metals (Ni, Co and Mn) under optimized leaching conditions. Then transition metals enriched residues can be completely dissolved in facile sulfuric acidic medium without the contamination of Li. Li 2 CO 3 and ternary precursors were recovered from Li enriched lixivium and transition metal enriched lixivium, respectively. Finally, cathode materials of LiNi 1/3 Co 1/3 Mn 1/3 O 2 are refabricated using obtained products to close the recycling loop. It can be concluded that it is possible for the gradient recycling of Li and transition metals based on their inherent properties with minimized consumption of acids under facile leaching conditions, which can also facilitate metals separation process for closed-looped re-fabrication of new cathode materials., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest There are no conflicts to declare., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

As a hazardous waste, the disposal of chromium enriched tannery sludge has attracted increasing public concern due to its potential adverse risks towards the environment. And incineration is considered to be an effective method to stabilize heavy metals, like Cr, in solid phase during tannery sludge treatment. In this study, real chromium enriched tannery sludge without pre-treatment was incinerated at 300°C-1200 °C under air atmosphere to investigate the transformation of chromium speciation. Here detailed thermal behavior, phase transformation and chromium speciation were characterized by TG-DSC, XRD and XPS, respectively. Experimental results show that content of Cr(VI) increases gradually with the increase of temperature from 300 °C to 500 °C and reaches a maximal level of 46% total Cr at 500 °C, with different Cr(VI) species of CaCrO 4 , MgCrO 4 and Cr 5 O 12 . However, the content of Cr(VI) decreases gradually with the further increase of temperature, with only about 5% Cr(VI) at high temperature of 1200 °C, due to formation of Cr(III) species of Cr 2 O 3 crystallite and MgCr 2 O 4 spinel. Besides, a growing number of hexagonally shaped flake-like crystallite Cr 2 O 3 can be discovered from characterization results of XRD and SEM. Finally, the reduction of CaCrO 4 to Cr 2 O 3 in the presence of SiO 2 is thermodynamically feasible over 700 °C, indicating possible transformation of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) through controlled incineration temperature., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that we have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

In this paper, a process combining biodegradation and Fenton oxidation was proposed for the removal of polydiallyldimethylammonium chloride-acrylic-acrylamide-hydroxyethyl acrylate (PDM) in aqueous phase. Biodegradation of PDM was investigated in activated sludge systems, and the effects of the solution pH, mixed liquid suspended solids (MLSS), salinity, co-substrate, and initial substrate concentration, were studied. The biodegradation process was well-described with the Monod model and the values of the kinetics parameters v max , k s were 0.05 h -1 and 333 mg/L. The optimal biodegradation conditions in the experimental range were determined to be: pH = 7.0, 0%-0.01% (w/v) NaCl, 4000 mg/L of MLSS, and 500 mg/L of glucose as co-substrate. FT-IR analysis indicated that PDM molecules biodegradation partly. The microbial community structures and dehydrogenase activity analysis revealed that PDM showed some toxicity to microorganisms in activated sludge. The effects of several parameters, including the pH and chemical doses, were investigated for removing PDM in Fenton oxidation process. The optimal Fenton oxidation process conditions in the experimental range were pH = 2.0, Fe 2+ concentration of 40 mg/L, and H 2 O 2 dosage of 23 mL/L. PDM was treated by biodegradation and subsequent Fenton oxidation under the optimal operating conditions. The removal efficiency was 44.5% after the biodegradation process and further increased to 85.5% after Fenton oxidation. The combined process was revealed to be a promising solution for achieving effective and economical removal of PDM., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Polymer nanocomposites have been widely used in the preparation of coating agents in the leather industry. Considering the complex bio-effect and ecological risk of nanomaterial, research on the biodegradability and biocompatibility of polyacrylate/metal nanocomposites in activated sludge system is of specific significance. We investigated the change of the bacterial community and diversity of activated sludge fed with polyacrylate/ZnO nanocomposites in both low (500 mg COD /L) and high (1000 mg COD/L) doses. COD removal, dehydrogenase activity, and total protein of activated sludge system were monitored in all treatments over 30 days. The results demonstrated that the exposure to both polyacrylate/ ZnO nanocomposite and polyacrylate decreased the dehydrogenase activity at early stage comparing to the control, but had no significant influence on COD removal. Overall, the bacterial communities in activated sludge were resistant to polyacrylate/ZnO nanocomposites, and had higher levels of metabolic activity, protein accumulation and bioavailability when exposed to these chemicals comparing to the control especially at later stages of incubation (15-30 days), which indicated that these polyacrylate/ZnO nanocomposites of certain amount were biocompatible to activated sludge system., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Extensive usage of different kinds of lithium ion batteries (LIBs) may result in a huge amount of complicated waste batteries stream, while insufficient attention has been paid on the selective recovery of lithium from these already complicated wastes. Herein, a novel approach was developed for the selective extraction of Li from mixed types of LIBs (LiCoO 2 , LiMn 2 O 4 , LiFePO 4 and LiCo 1/3 Mn 1/3 Ni 1/3 O 2 ) using mild phosphoric acid as efficient leaching agent. It can be concluded from leaching results that 100%, 92.86%, 97.57% and 98.94% Li can be selectively extracted from waste cathode materials of LiCoO 2 , LiMn 2 O 4 , LiFePO 4 and LiCo 1/3 Mn 1/3 Ni 1/3 O 2 , respectively, while transition metals (Co, Mn, Fe and Ni) can be hardly leached in mild acidic media under optimized leaching conditions. In addition, high selectivity coefficients (β Li/Me ) can be obtained during the extraction of Li from other metals. It can be also discovered from characterization results (SEM, XRD, FT-IR and Raman spectra) that leaching residues are phosphate precipitates, which might be used for the recycling of other metals and preparation of cathode materials. Results from leaching kinetics indicate that the leaching of Li is chemical and internal diffusion controlled reaction, with apparent activation energy (Ea) of 37.74, 21.16, 27.47 and 21.86 kJ/mol for LiCoO 2 , LiMn 2 O 4 , LiFePO 4 and LiCo 1/3 Mn 1/3 Ni 1/3 O 2 , respectively. Finally, lithium phosphate with a purity of 98.4% can be obtained and the whole process can be efficient candidate for Li recovery with minor environmental impact and little waste produced., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

It is significant to recover metal values from spent lithium ion batteries (LIBs) for the alleviation or prevention of potential risks towards environmental pollution and public health, as well as for the conservation of valuable metals. Herein a hydrometallurgical process was proposed to explore the possibility for the leaching of different metals from waste cathodic materials (LiCoO 2 ) of spent LIBs using organics as reductant in sulfuric acid medium. According to the leaching results, about 98% Co and 96% Li can be leached under the optimal experimental conditions of reaction temperature - 95 °C, reaction time - 120 min, reductive agent dosage - 0.4 g/g, slurry density - 25 g/L, concentration of sulfuric acid-3 mol/L in H 2 SO 4  + glucose leaching system. Similar results (96% Co and 100% Li) can be obtained in H 2 SO 4  + sucrose leaching system under optimized leaching conditions. Despite a complete leaching of Li (∼100%), only 54% Co can be dissolved in the H 2 SO 4  + cellulose leaching system under optimized leaching conditions. Finally, different characterization methods, including UV-Vis, FT-IR, SEM and XRD, were employed for the tentative exploration of reductive leaching reactions using organic as reductant in sulfuric acid medium. All the leaching and characterization results confirm that both glucose and sucrose are effective reductants during leaching, while cellulose should be further degraded to organics with low molecular weights to achieve a satisfactory leaching performance., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Various organic compounds extensively used in the leather industry could influence the performance of alkaline precipitation with Cr(III). This study focused on two typical Cr(III)-bearing complexes (Cr(III)-collagen and Cr(III)-citrate) ubiquitous in tannery effluent yet with distinct treatment efficiencies, as Cr(III) was much more difficult to remove in the Cr(III)-citrate solution. Comprehensive analytical methods were employed to explore the intrinsic mechanism. It was found that a lower removal efficiency towards Cr(III) was significantly associated with higher oligomers. The molecular size of the Cr(III)-citrate complex continued to increase with rising pH, making it larger overall than Cr(III)-collagen species. The growing oligomer moiety of dissolved Cr(III)-complex species could persist in the stronger basic pH range, leading to the large amount of residual Cr(III) in the Cr(III)-citrate system. Combining this result with potentiometric titration and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy data, it was believed that the polymeric species other than monomers facilitated resisting the attack from hydroxide ions, and the postulated Cr(III)-citrate species towards higher oligomers were discovered. Beyond that, both charge neutralization and sweeping effects were presented among the gradually emerging flocs in the Cr(III)-collagen system together with the electric double layer compression effect derived from salinity, thus resulting in a larger floc size and higher Cr(III) removal efficiency in saline solutions., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The application or disposal of char derived from tannery sludge is directly influenced by the mobility and bioavailability of Cr during pyrolysis process. This study focused on the changes of Cr speciation and organic matter in tannery sludge during low-temperature pyrolysis (100-400 °C) to evaluate the toxicity of char in terms of the leaching possibility of Cr. The results showed that (1) lower char yield and more porous structure were observed after pyrolysis. (2) Higher pyrolysis temperature increased Cr content in the char; however, Cr in this case was converted into the residual fraction which minimized its bioavailability therefore lowers its potential risk to the environment. (3) Organic matters in the acid and alkali leachates were mainly humic acid-like substance, and condensed organic matter might appear at 200 °C and then destruct. (4) Despite the comparatively high content of Cr in the char, the leaching toxicity of char was within the security range according to the national standard of China. The Cr content in the acid and alkali leachates decreased to the range of 16.5-35.3 and 0.2-6.8 mg/L, respectively. It was suggested that the potential toxicity of tannery sludge from Cr could be reduced before utilization or disposal by pyrolysis, especially under 400 °C.

Background: Mac-2 binding protein (M2BP) is an inflammatory glycoprotein associated with carotid atherosclerosis and all-cause mortality in patients with suspected coronary artery diseases. We aimed to explore the potential association of plasma M2BP levels with unstable plaque morphology and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS)., Patients and Methods: We compared plasma M2BP levels among three groups: 216 patients with ACS, 82 patients with stable angina pectoris, and 50 controls. Angiographic analyses of complex lesions were carried out in patients with ACS and they were followed up prospectively for 12 months for the occurrence of major adverse cardiovascular outcomes (MACEs)., Results: Patients with ACS showed significantly higher plasma levels of M2BP than patients with stable angina pectoris (P<0.001) and controls (P<0.001). M2BP levels correlated positively with the presence (P<0.001) and extent (P=0.005) of complex lesions. During follow-up, 45 (20.8%) cases of MACEs occurred. Survival analysis indicated that high M2BP levels were associated with a poor prognosis (log-rank P=0.008). After Cox multivariate adjustment, plasma M2BP levels remained an independent predictor of MACEs either as a continuous variable (hazard ratio: 1.178, 95% confidence interval: 1.093-1.270, P<0.001) or as a categorical variable (hazard ratio: 2.783, 95% confidence interval: 1.433-5.404, P=0.002)., Conclusion: Plasma M2BP levels might be predictive of unstable plaque and were associated independently with poor cardiovascular outcomes in patients with ACS.

Sustainable recycling of valuable metals from spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) may be necessary to alleviate the depletion of strategic metal resources and potential risk of environmental pollution. Herein a hydrometallurgical process was proposed to explore the possibility for the recovery of valuable metals from the cathode materials (LiCoO 2 ) of spent LIBs using phosphoric acid as both leaching and precipitating agent under mild leaching conditions. According to the leaching results, over 99% Co can be separated and recovered as Co 3 (PO 4 ) 2 in a short-cut process involved merely with leaching and filtrating, under the optimized leaching conditions of 40°C (T), 60min (t), 4 vol.% H 2 O 2 , 20mLg -1 (L/S) and 0.7mol/L H 3 PO 4 . Then leaching kinetics was investigated based on the logarithmic rate kinetics model and the obtained results indicate that the leaching of Co and Li fits well with this model and the activation energies (Ea) for Co and Li are 7.3 and 10.2kJ/mol, respectively. Finally, it can be discovered from characterization results that the obtained product is 97.1% pure cobalt phosphate (Co 3 (PO4) 2 )., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

It is difficult to completely remove Cr(III) from tannery effluent by alkaline precipitation due to the abundance of strong organic ligands. Thereby, the speciation of the residual Cr after alkaline precipitation is of crucial significance to guide the selection and design of further treatment process. For the first time, we revealed the speciation of the residual Cr with the aid of comprehensive analytical techniques. Results showed that the residual Cr(III) mostly located in two size ranges, i.e. the 13-100nm fraction and the <4nm fraction. Combined spectral analyses demonstrated Cr(III) was coordinated by carboxyl groups or hydroxyl groups in both fractions, while the complexation by nitrogen-containing groups was excluded by the total nitrogen and UPLC-MS analysis in the two fractions, respectively. Based on the comprehensive analyses, the structures of Cr(III) complexes in both fractions were proposed. Cr(III) cross-linked the carboxyl groups from polyacrylic acid chains to form the network gel structure in the 13-100nm fraction, while the complex structure of Cr(III) in the <4nm fraction was formed through hydroxyl-carboxyl chelation by masking agents such as tartrate and citrate. Although polyoxyethylene ether was abundantly present, it was responsible for the complexation of Cr(III) in neither fraction., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Tannery sludge contained plenty of organic matter, and the organic substance stability had direct impact on its derived chars' utilization. In this paper, the stabilization of tannery sludge and the variation of humic acid-like (HAL) extracted by different methods were investigated in a magnetic stirring reactor under low temperature pyrolysis of 100-400 °C. Results showed that the aromatic structure of pyrolysis chars increased with the increase of temperature and time. The char contained highly aromatic structure and relatively small dissolved organic matters (DOM) at 300 °C. The similar behaviors appeared in two HAL series by different extraction methods. The N content, H/C value, and aliphatic structures of HAL decreased with the increase of pyrolysis temperature, while the C/N value and aromatic structures increased with the rise of pyrolysis temperature. The composition and functional groups of HAL were similar with the purchased humic acid (HA). The fluorescence spectra revealed that two main peaks were found at Ex/Em = 239/363-368 nm and 283/359-368 nm in each HAL series from raw and 100 °C pyrolysis tannery sludge, representing a protein-like matter. The new peak appeared at Ex/Em = 263-283/388 nm in each HAL series from 200 °C pyrolysis tannery sludge-represented humic acid-like matter. The fluorescence intensity increased strongly compared to the other two peak intensity. Therefore, the humification of organic matter was increased by pyrolyzing. Notably, the HAL from 200 °C pyrolysis tannery sludge contained simple molecular structure, and the polycondensation increased but with a relative lower humification degree compared to soil HAL and purchased HA. Therefore, the sludge needs further oxidation. The humic substance was negligible by direct extraction when the temperature was 300 and 400 °C.

The European "Community Bureau of Reference" (BCR) sequential extraction procedure, diffusive gradient in thin-films technique (DGT), and physiologically based extraction test were applied to assess metal bioavailability in sediments of Lake Taihu (n = 13). Findings from the three methods showed that Cd was a significant problem in the western lake whereas Cu, Zn, and Ni pollution was most severe in the northern lake. Results from the sequential extraction revealed that more than 50 % of the Cu and Zn were highly mobile and defined within the extractable fraction (AS1 + FM2 + OS3) in the majority of the sediments, in contrast extractable fractions of Ni and Cd were lower than 50 % in most of the sampling sites. Average Cu, Zn, Ni, and Cd bioaccessibilities were <50 % in the gastric phase. Zn and Cd bioaccessibility in the intestinal phase was ∼50 % lower than the gastric phase while bioaccessibilities of Cu and Ni were 47-57 % greater than the gastric phase. Linear regression analysis between DGT and BCR measurements indicated that the extractable fractions (AS1 + FM2 + OS3) in the reducing environment were the main source of DGT uptake, suggesting that DGT is a good in situ evaluation tool for metal bioavailability in sediments.

Magnetically separable polyaniline (Fe3O4@SiO2-PANI) was prepared by in situ chemical polymerization of aniline on the surface of silica-coated Fe3O4 nanoparticles, and characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, powder X-ray diffraction, elemental analysis, transmission electron microscopy, vibrating sample magnetometry and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Characterization results showed that Fe3O4@SiO2-PANI with amino groups of 1.78 mmol/g and the average diameter of 21.6 nm are superparamagnetic. Adsorption behavior of Fe3O4@SiO2-PANI nanoparticles for humic acid (HA) was investigated by batch experiments and adsorption kinetic tests. HA adsorption amount on the adsorbent decreased with increasing solution pH and the presence of Ca(2+) resulted in the enhanced HA adsorption. HA adsorption on Fe3O4@SiO2-PANI could be well described by Langmuir model and the maximum adsorption amount of the adsorbent for HA at 25°C was 36.36 mg/g. HA adsorption process on the adsorbent obey pseudo-second-order kinetics and the adsorption rates decrease with increasing initial HA concentration. The XPS analysis verified that HA adsorption over the adsorbent could be attributed to the surface complexation between the disassociated HA molecules and the protonated nitrogen of polyaniline on the adsorbent. HA loaded adsorbent could be magnetically separated and easily desorbed in 0.01 mol/L NaOH solution. Regeneration tests indicated that Fe3O4@SiO2-PANI could be used repeatedly., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Effective arsenic removal from highly laden industrial wastewater is an important but challenging task. Here, a combined coprecipitation/nano-adsorption process, with ferric chloride and calcium chloride as coprecipitation agents and polymer-based nanocomposite as selective adsorbent, has been validated for arsenic removal from tungsten-smelting wastewater. On the basis of operating optimization, a binary FeCl3 (520 mg/L)-CaCl2 (300 mg/L) coprecipitation agent could remove more than 93% arsenic from the wastewater. The resulting precipitate has proved environmental safety based on leaching toxicity test. Fixed-bed column packed with zirconium or ferric-oxide-loaded nanocomposite was employed for further elimination of arsenic in coprecipitated effluent, resulting in a significant decrease of arsenic (from 0.96 to less than 0.5 mg/L). The working capacity of zirconium-loaded nanocomposite was 220 bed volumes per run, much higher than that of ferric-loaded nanocomposite (40 bed volumes per run). The exhausted zirconium-loaded nanocomposite could be efficiently in situ regenerated with a binary NaOH-NaCl solution for reuse without any significant capacity loss. The results validated the combinational coprecipitation/nano-adsorption process to be a potential alternative for effective arsenic removal from highly laden industrial effluent.

This work set out to study the effects of cadmium (Cd) in sediments on the antioxidant enzyme activities in the digestive gland of Asian clam Corbicula fluminea and to explore the potential for applying these responses to evaluate the Cd-contaminated sediment. Additionally, diffusive gradients in thin-films (DGT) technique was used to predict the response of its antioxidant defense system. The sediments, collected from Taihu Lake, were spiked with Cd at different concentrations (0.72, 0.91, 1.62, 2.59, 11.2, 20.4 and 40.6 mg kg(-1), dry weight). Asian clam was cultivated for 28 days. Concentrations of Cd in the body of Asian clam had a good relationship with concentrations of Cd in overlying water and sediments, as measured by DGT. Cd affected these biochemical parameters significantly, especially for superoxide (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and glutathione (GSH), which began to show higher sensitivity and have a significant difference in low dosage (0.91 mg Cd kg(-1)) compared with blank. Contents of MDA and MT, which were induced by Cd, increased with the increasing Cd concentration in sediments and reached peak values at 11.2 and 20.4 mg kg(-1), respectively, after 28 days exposure. All of these results suggested that biochemical responses cooperated in detoxifying and maintaining cellular metabolic homeostasis. The R(2) of regression analysis between the contents of MT and the concentrations of Cd measured by DGT, in sediments and soft body were 0.71, 0.94 and 0.88 after 28 days exposure. This suggested that DGT measurement could predict the response of MT. Cd accumulation, GSH and MT were indispensable biomarkers and the MDA content and DGT appeared to be promising biomarkers. The results clearly indicated that Cd could induce oxidative stress in the digestive gland of Asian clam. The combination of biomonitors with DGT can obtain different information about Cd bioavailability and confirm the significance of applying a suite of biomarkers rather than a selective index to assess the sublethal effect. It also offered theoretical methods for the prediction of sediment Cd pollution.

Three azo dyes (Methyl Orange, Direct Brown and Direct Green) were treated by catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) with the catalysts CuO/γ-Al(2)O(3) prepared by consecutive impregnation. The relationship of decolorization extent, chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal extent and total organic carbon (TOC) in dye solution were investigated. The results indicated that the CuO/γ-Al(2)O(3) catalyst had excellent catalytic activity in treating azo dyes. Almost 99% of color and 70% of TOC were removed in 2h. The high removal extent of color and TOC indicated that the CWAO obtained perfect decomposition for pollutants. The degradation pathway of azo dyes was analyzed by UV-Vis, FTIR and MS. According to the examined results, the hydroxyl ((·)OH) radicals induced strong oxidizing effects in the target solution and destroyed the chromophoric groups of azo-benzene conjugated of the molecular structure. Considering characteristics of the dye structure, the azo bond (-N=N-) would first be attacked by the hydroxyl radical and other free radicals. With the continuous oxidization and the long reaction time at high temperature, these intermediates could be oxidized to the final oxidation products, such as water and carbon dioxide., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Microorganism communities and chemical characteristics in sludge-bamboo charcoal composting system were investigated to find the effect of bamboo charcoal on composting. According to a plate count test, abundances of bacteria, fungi and actinomycetes in the treatment with bamboo charcoal were several times higher than those in treatment without bamboo charcoal. In addition, terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP) analysis indicated that the bacterial community diversity in treatment with bamboo charcoal was greater than that of the control. Both results demonstrated that amendment with bamboo charcoal can increase microorganism population and microorganism community diversity in a sludge composting system. Moreover, the results of FTIR spectroscopy disclosed that aerobic composting can promote the formation of surface acid groups on bamboo charcoal. These surface acid groups may deprotonate and react with NH4+ to form stable complexes. Therefore, the increase of functional groups accompanied with greater assimilation of nitrogen by microorganisms could reduce nitrogen loss in sludge composting.

Six stations in the lower reach region of Changjiang River within Baguazhou Island, Nanjing reach were chosen to investigate the toxic metals pollution characteristic in suspended particle material (SPM). SPM concentration, as well as reflectance spectroscopy characteristic, toxic metal concentrations, and lead isotopes of suspended particle material were studied. SPM concentrations were obtained from fluvial cross-sectional sampling near the surface (20 cm) and the study presents the cross-sectional averages. SPM concentrations varied around 170-300 mg L(-1). Reflectance spectroscopy measurements differed from each other over each cross-section but no common pattern characterizing the cross-sectional behavior of the measurements was observed. The metal concentrations in the SPM decreased in the sequence: Mn>Zn>Cu>Cr>Pb>Cd. The result of lead isotopes analysis proved that lead isotopes composition in SPM are mainly produced by natural contributions and influenced by anthropogenic activity at the same time.