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Biodenitrification plays a vital role in the remediation of nitrogen-contaminated water. However, influent with a low C/N ratio limits the efficiency of denitrification and causes the accumulation/emission of noxious intermediates. In this study, β-cyclodextrin-functionalized biochar (BC@β-CD) was synthesized and applied to promote the denitrification performance of Paracoccus denitrificanswhen the C/N was only 4, accompanied by increased nitrate reduction efficiency and lower nitrite accumulation and nitrous oxide emission. Transcriptomic and enzymatic activity analyses showed BC@β-CD enhanced glucose degradation by promoting the activities of glycolysis (EMP), the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle. Notably, BC@β-CD drove a great generation of electron donors by stimulating the TCA cycle, causing a greater supply of substrate metabolism to denitrification. Meanwhile, the promotional effect of BC@β-CD on oxidative phosphorylation accelerates electron transfer and ATP synthesis. Moreover, the presence of BC@β-CD increased the intracellular iron level, causing further improved electron utilization in denitrification. BC@β-CD helped to remove metabolites and induced positive feedback on the metabolism of P. denitrificans.Collectively, these effects elevated the glucose utilization for supporting denitrification from 36.37% to 51.19%. This study reveals the great potential of BC@β-CD for enhancing denitrification under low C/N conditions and illustrates a potential application approach for β-CD in wastewater bioremediation.

This article mainly reviews the biomedicine applications of two metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), MIL-100(Fe) and MIL-101(Fe). These MOFs have advantages such as high specific surface area, adjustable pore size, and chemical stability, which make them widely used in drug delivery systems. The article first introduces the properties of these two materials and then discusses their applications in drug transport, antibacterial therapy, and cancer treatment. In cancer treatment, drug delivery systems based on MIL-100(Fe) and MIL-101(Fe) have made significant progress in chemotherapy (CT), chemodynamic therapy (CDT), photothermal therapy (PTT), photodynamic therapy (PDT), immunotherapy (IT), nano-enzyme therapy, and related combined therapy. Overall, these MIL-100(Fe) and MIL-101(Fe) materials have tremendous potential and diverse applications in the field of biomedicine.

As a barrier between the structure of the human body's internal organs and the outside environment, the skin serves crucial physiological tasks like protection, regulation, and metabolism. The skin's close interaction with the outside makes it particularly vulnerable to many injuries. Bacterial infections cause wound healing to take longer, raise the risk of chronic harm, and serve as a breeding ground for drug-resistant bacteria. As a result, it is critical to eliminate bacterial species from the wound region rapidly and efficiently. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), are critically adjustable hybrid materials that integrate organic ligands with coordination metals to generate a range of topologically isomorphic structures. MOFs' creation and shape are investigated by the metal source and ligand utilized in the reaction process, and the structural benefits of this near-infinite combination of structures allow boundless potential for their surface functionalization. MOF has a large effective surface area, tunable structure, adaptability, excellent biodegradability, high drug load, adjustable release of drugs, robust targeting, etc. It can be loaded with therapeutic materials and has programmability. It is more conducive to treating complex wounds while realizing the synergistic effects of antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and pro-angiogenesis, effectively improving treatment safety. This review summarizes the most recent research advances on various MOFs for antimicrobial therapy, using diverse types of metal-ion-based MOFs as an entry point. Finally, it covers several important challenges in the antimicrobial treatment of metal-ion-based MOFs.

Gas therapy has become increasingly prominent as a novel treatment approach in the medical field. NO, CO, and H2S gases, as gas signaling molecules for regulating pathological and physiological processes, provide potential treatments for diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease, bacteria, and virus infection, especially for the gas therapy using NO. However, the inherent instability of therapeutic gases makes it difficult to perform direct gas administration and controlled delivery within clinically relevant ranges. As highly stable, porous, and customizable compounds, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have a potential future in therapeutic gas delivery. As a new type of drug carrier, MOFs can deliver NO to the lesion area through endogenous and exogenous pathways, which has attracted wide attention. This review will focus on the source and category of NO through endogenous and exogenous pathways, the NO-triggered gas therapy based on MOFs, and the related mechanism of the treatment was also discussed. Moreover, the future challenges and directions in NO-triggered gas therapy by MOFs are explored.

A large proportion of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients suffer from lower urinary tract symptoms after surgery due to the presence of prostatic urothelium wounds. Rebamipide (RBM) exerts wound healing promotion and anti-inflammatory effects on various tissues, including the urothelium. However, intravesical administration of RBM is hindered due to its low solubility and resulting unsustainable drug concentrations in the bladder. In this study, RBM-loaded chitosan nanoparticles (RBM/CTS NPs) were prepared using the ionic cross-linking method. Physicochemical characteristics and the wound healing promotion effect, as well as in vitroinfluence on macrophages were evaluated. The results show that RBM/CTS NPs are spherical with uniform size distribution, while slower and sustained in vitrorelease of RBM is presented. In vivo, faster wound healing and improved re-epithelialization progress were observed after treatment with RBM/CTS NPs in a model of thulium laser resection of the prostate (TmLRP). The degree of local inflammatory response decreased, as confirmed by decreasing numbers of pro-inflammatory M1 phenotype macrophages and levels of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-12 and TNF-α in the urine of canines. We also found that RBM/CTS NPs suppress macrophage M1 polarization induced by lipopolysaccharide and interferon-γ and inhibit the activation of the NF-κB signaling pathway. Therefore, as a novel therapeutic strategy, intravesical administration of RBM/CTS NPs can effectively avoid drug intolerance and drug wastage, accelerating the postoperative wound repairing of the prostatic urethra by suppressing macrophage M1 phenotype polarization.

Varicocele is a dilation of the pampiniform venous plexus within the scrotum. The prevalence of varicocele in peripubertal men has been reported to vary between 3% and 43%, which is higher than other urogenital diseases. Since its onset has a close relation with male infertility, study of its incidence, pathogenic mechanisms, and efficient therapeutic regimens is important. Prevalence of varicocele in China, especially in rural or underdeveloped areas, has seldom been reported. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and risk factors of varicocele in young men.