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The presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in soil negatively affects the environment and the degradation of these contaminants is influenced by nitrogen metabolism. However, the mechanisms underlying the interrelationships between the functional genes involved in nitrogen metabolism and phenanthrene (PHE) biodegradation, as well as the effects of biochar on these mechanisms, require further study. Therefore, this study utilised metabolomic and metagenomic analysis to investigate primary nitrogen processes, associated functional soil enzymes and functional genes, and differential soil metabolites in PHE-contaminated soil with and without biochar amendment over a 45-day incubation period. Results showed that dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) and denitrification were the dominant nitrogen metabolism processes in PHE-contaminated soil. The addition of biochar enhanced nitrogen modules, exhibiting discernible temporal fluctuations in denitrification and DNRA proportions. Co-occurrence networks and correlation heatmap analysis revealed potential interactions among functional genes and enzymes responsible for PHE biodegradation and nitrogen metabolism. Notably, enzymes associated with denitrification and DNRA displayed significant positive correlation with enzymes involved in downstream phenanthrene degradation. Of particular interest was stronger correlation observed with the addition of biochar. However, biochar amendment inhibited the 9-phenanthrol degradation pathway, resulting in elevated levels of glutathione (GSH) in response to environmental stress. These findings provide new insights into the interactions between nitrogen metabolism and PHE biodegradation in soil and highlight the dual effects of biochar on these processes.

The heterogeneous catalytic activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) for wastewater treatment is attracting increased research interest. Therefore, it is essential to find a sustainable, economical, and effective activated material for wastewater treatment. In this study, metal–organic framework (MOF)-5 was used as the precursor, and a stable and recyclable material ZnO@Ni3ZnC0.7 that exhibited good adsorption and catalytic properties, was obtained by the addition of nickel and subsequent calcination. To investigate and optimize the practical application conditions, the elimination of rhodamine B (RhB) in water was selected as the model process. This study demonstrated that the degradation of organic matter in the system involved a coupling of the adsorption and degradation processes. Based on this, the mechanism of the entire process was proposed. The results of scanning electron microscopy, infrared spectrum analysis, and theoretical analysis confirmed that the van der Waals forces, electrostatic attraction, and hydrogen bonding influenced the adsorption process. Electron paramagnetic resonance analysis, masking experiments, and electrochemical tests conducted during the oxidative degradation process confirmed that the degradation mechanism of RhB included both radical and non-free radical pathways, and that the surface hydroxyl group was the key active site. The degradation of the adsorbed substrates enabled the regeneration of the active sites. The material regenerated using a simple method exhibited good efficiency for the removal of organic compounds in four-cycle tests. Moreover, this material can effectively remove a variety of organic pollutants, and can be easily recovered owing to its magnetic properties. The results demonstrated that the use of heterogeneous catalytic materials with good adsorption capacity could be an economical and beneficial strategy.

Areca nut (Areca catechu L.) seeds are rich in polyphenols, while few studies focused on it. This study was designed to obtain the maximum extraction yield of areca nut seed polyphenol (ACP). An ultrasonic-assisted extraction method optimized by response surface methodology (RSM) was established to extract ACP. Under the optimal conditions (ultrasonic power of 87 W, ethanol concentration of 65%, extraction temperature of 62℃, and extraction time of 153 min), the actual extraction yield of ACP was 139.62 mg/g. Then we investigated the effects of ACP on the proliferation, differentiation and mineralization of MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblasts. Results suggested that ACP notably promoted the proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells without cytotoxicity, and the contents of collagen type Ⅰ (COL-Ⅰ) and osteocalcin (OCN) were rising. Meanwhile, the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and mineralized nodules were enhanced. These findings demonstrated that ACP could induce the proliferation, differentiation and mineralization of osteoblasts in vitro. This work provided a certain experimental basis for the developing and utilization of polyphenols from Areca nut seeds.

In this study, a total of 24 male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into 3 group (Collagen peptide of Salmon salar skin group, Ss-SCP; Collagen peptide of Tilapia nilotica skin group, Tn-SCP and Model control group, MC) to investigate the impact of a high-collagen peptide diet on the gut microbiota and host health. After 16 days intervention, the body weights of the Ss-SCP and Tn-SCP intervention groups were significantly increased and the liver index was also remarkably higher than that of the MC group. The acetic acid and propionic acid levels in feces were both significantly increased in the diet high-collagen peptide groups and valerate acid level was lower than that in the MC group. With the intervention of a high-dose collagen peptide diet, the gut microbiota of the groups was shifted with increased abundance of Lactobacillus, Unidentified-Prevotellaceae, Allobaculum, and Parasutterella, whereas the Tn-SCP administration have caused low abundance of Anaerostipes, Blautia, and Fusicatenibacter. The relative abundance of Allobaculum as well as Parasutterella was positively correlated with propionic acid and acetic acid levels, respectively. In addition, Allobaculum abundance was negatively correlated with valerate acid level. The serum valerate acid content was potentially harmful to rat health and significantly increased in the groups intervened with collagen peptide. All together, these results showed that administration of diet high-collagen peptide shifts the gut microbiota in rats and induced a disturbance in short-chain fatty acid metabolism which is potentially harmful to health.

GZD824 is a novel third-generation BCR-ABL inhibitor. It entered Phase II clinical trials in China and Phase Ib clinical trials in USA in 2019 for treatment of patients with resistant chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). We found that at concentrations below 10 nM, GZD824 significantly suppresses FLT3, FGFR1 and PDGFRα kinase activities and inhibits their signal pathways in MV4-11Flt3-ITD, KG-1FGFR1OP2-FGFR1 and EOL-1FIP1L1-PDGFRa leukemia cells. It selectively inhibits the growth of MV4-11Flt3-ITD, KG-1FGFR1OP2-FGFR1 and EOL-1FIP1L1-PDGFRa cells, and also effectively suppresses the growth of Ba/F3-FLT3-ITD cells harboring F691I and other mutations with IC50 values