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Microplastics are persistent pollutants that elicit significant environmental and health concerns; however, little is known about their interactions with cadmium (Cd) and their toxic effects on soil and plant growth. A pot study was conducted to examine the effects of polyethylene (PE; 0.05 % w/w), polylactic acid (PLA; 0.05 % w/w), and Cd application (5 mg kg−1soil) in a soil-plant system. Sole application of PE and soil contamination with Cd negatively influenced the biomass, soil properties, Cd accumulation, photosynthetic properties, chlorophyll content, root growth traits, and antioxidant enzyme activity. PE+Cd exerted stronger adverse effects on biomass, soil properties, Cd accumulation, photosynthetic properties, chlorophyll content, root growth traits, and antioxidant enzyme activity. PLA+Cd decreased Cd uptake and accumulation in leaves and roots. PE+Cd upregulated the antioxidant activities (APX, CAT, POD, and SOD contents) in the root and leaves, compared to that by PLA. Both types of microplastics, especially PE, are affected by oxidative stress caused by Cd-contaminated soil. In conclusion, PE+Cd had stronger adverse effects on soil health and pak choi physiology, thereby affecting roots and leaf biomass. Long-term experiments are required to enhance our understanding of microplastic in bioremediation.

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) participate in multiple biological processes associated with cancers as tumor suppressors or oncogenic drivers. Due to their high stability in plasma, urine, and many other fluids, ncRNAs have the potential to serve as key biomarkers for early diagnosis and screening of cancers. During cancer progression, tumor heterogeneity plays a crucial role, and it is particularly important to understand the gene expression patterns of individual cells. With the development of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) technologies, uncovering gene expression in different cell types for human cancers has become feasible by profiling transcriptomes at the cellular level. However, a well-organized and comprehensive online resource that provides access to the expression of genes corresponding to ncRNA biomarkers in different cell types at the single-cell level is not available yet. Therefore, we developed the SCancerRNA database to summarize experimentally supported data on long ncRNA, microRNA, PIWI-interacting RNA, small nucleolar RNA, and circular RNA biomarkers, as well as data on their differential expression at the cellular level. Furthermore, we collected biological functions and clinical applications of biomarkers to facilitate the application of ncRNA biomarkers to cancer diagnosis, as well as the monitoring of progression and targeted therapies. SCancerRNA also allows users to explore interaction networks of different types of ncRNAs, and build computational models in the future. SCancerRNA is freely accessible at http://www.scancerrna.com/BioMarker.

The Li[Li0.23Co0.3Mn0.47]O2cathode material was prepared by a sol−gel method. Combinative X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman scattering studies showed that the material was a solid solution rather than a composite of nano Li2MnO3and LiCoO2. The material had a high discharge capacity of 250 mAh g−1in the voltage window of 2.0−4.8 V. However, the capacity retention was poor. The material showed different electrochemical mechanisms in the first charge and subsequent cycles. Galvanostatic intermittent titration technique (GITT) study showed that the Li+diffusion coefficients during the first charge were as small as 10−19cm2s−1because of the high kinetic barriers associated with the concurrent Li+extraction, oxygen loss, and structural rearrangement. The Li+diffusion coefficients increased to 10−14cm2s−1after the first charge. However, they were still much smaller than those of typical layered materials such as LiCoO2and Li(Ni1/3Co1/3Mn1/3)O2. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) study showed that the large interface impedance at high potential seriously hindered the electrode performance of the material. A lower charge cutoff voltage of 4.6 V was the most suitable for this material considering that the correponding reversible capacity (∼200 mAh g−1) was attractive for high energy density lithium ion batteries.