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The removal of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) from wastewater using the green synthesized nano-zero-valent-iron (GnZVI) has attracted great attention. However, the Cr(VI) removal capacity of GnZVI remains limited by dissolved oxygen (DO) or phosphate in wastewater. Therefore, Cr(VI) removal by GnZVI combined with iron sulfides (i.e., FeS or FeS 2) impacting by DO and phosphate was investigated at pH 2.0 and 6.0. Experimental results showed that DO inhibited the Cr(VI) removal by GnZVI with FeS at pH 2.0, because high DO saturation was beneficial to Fe(II) oxidization into Fe(III). Nevertheless, DO promoted the corrosion and dissolution of FeS 2 but GnZVI for Cr(VI) reduction at pH 2.0. Especially, phosphate inhibited the Cr(VI) reduction by the combination of GnZVI and iron sulfides at pH 2.0, likely because phosphate inhibited Fe(II) release from GnZVI hybrid materials during the reduction process from Cr(VI) to Cr (III). Differently, at pH 6.0, phosphate mainly promoted Cr(VI) removal by FeS compared with GnZVI via the formation of phosphate complexation, while it inhibited Cr(VI) removal using GnZVI combined with FeS 2 through the competitive adsorption. This study reveals the potential inherent mechanisms and emphasizes a sustainable strategy for the effective removal of Cr(VI) using a hybrid technique that combines GnZVI and iron sulfides under complex wastewater conditions. [Display omitted] • DO inhibited Cr(VI) reduction of GnZVI and FeS via transform Fe(II) into Fe(III). • DO promoted Cr(VI) reduction of FeS 2 but GnZVI via increasing Fe(II) dissolution. • P inhibited Fe(II) release from GnZVI hybrid system for Cr(VI) reduction at pH 2.0. • P promoted Cr(VI) reduction of FeS because of phosphate complexation at pH 6.0. • P inhibited Cr(VI) removal by GnZVI combined with FeS 2 at pH 6.0. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs) constitute a novel class of biodegradable and inexpensive solvents. In this study, twenty choline chloride- and glycerol-based NADESs were prepared and investigated as washing agents in the removal of cadmium (Cd) from rice flour for the first time. Choline chloride-based NADESs demonstrated good Cd removal (51%–96%). A natural, biodegradable surfactant, saponin, was mixed with the NADESs to enhance their efficiency. No increase in Cd removal was observed when glycerol-based NADESs were combined with 1% saponin; however, synergistic effects between saponin and choline chloride-based NADESs were observed during the washing process and >99% Cd was removed using NADES-saponin mixtures. Moreover, NADESs washing process did not affect the main chemical components or structure of rice flour. The mechanism of Cd removal by NADESs and regeneration of Cd-contaminated NADESs were also explored. The study presents a green and efficient way of removing Cd from contaminated rice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Nerve growth factor (NGF) shows neuroprotection while it is hard to cross the blood-brain barrier due to its large molecular weight. Our study used intranasal delivery of NGF to treat the experimental epilepsy. Methods The seizure was induced by injection of pentylenetetrazol (40 mg/kg) into the rat. Based on the behavior performance, the successful models were randomized into control and NGF groups, given medium or NGF intranasally, respectively. The onset and duration of seizure were recorded. The neuron loss was assessed by immunohistochemistry and TUNEL staining. The expressions of Caspase-3, p75R and TrkA were measured by western blotting. Results Intranasal NGF significantly reduced the seizure onset and shortened the seizure duration. Intranasal NGF alleviated the neuron loss in the epileptic brain. The number of TUNEL-positive cells in the NGF group was less than that in the control group ( P < 0.05). Overexpression of Caspase-3 and activation of p75R induced by seizure were inhibited by intranasal NGF. Conclusion Intranasal NGF protected neurons in the epileptic brain by inactivation of p75R/Caspase pathway. Intranasal NGF may be a novel therapeutic strategy for epilepsy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, an efficient extraction technique using a combination of ultrasound and natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs) was developed. Some basic physical properties, including viscosity, polarity, and solubility, of thirteen NADESs prepared from natural components were investigated systematically. Results show that the solubility of rutin increased in choline chloride- and glycerol-based NADESs by 660–1577 times compared to water. NADESs with high rutin extractability can be designed by combining NADESs components. A maximum of 9.5 mg/g rutin was extracted from tartary buckwheat hull with extraction efficiencies of 95%. NADESs can be recovered and recycled. In addition, the biocompatibility and biodegradability of the tested NADESs were also evaluated. The results demonstrated that these NADESs were excellent solvents with extremely low toxicities and favorable biodegradabilities. Our findings suggest that NADESs can be used as green solvents for the extraction of bioactive ingredients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is intended to propose and analyze the lowest order conforming and nonconforming virtual element methods (VEMs) for a nonhomogeneous double obstacle problem in fourth-order variational inequality. We first present an abstract framework for the error analysis of an abstract discrete method. Then, we develop the conforming and fully nonconforming VEMs for the previous problem, with the optimal error estimates obtained by using the previous abstract framework combined with two modified interpolation operators and the related estimates. The discrete problem is solved by the primal–dual active set algorithm and the numerical results are in good agreement with theoretical findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Psoriasis is a prevalent chronic inflammatory skin condition marked by immune cell infiltration and keratinocyte abnormal proliferation. Cimicifugae Rhizoma - Smilax glabra Roxb (CS) herb pair, the main component of Shengma Detoxification Decoction, has been proven effective for the treatment of psoriasis. However, the mechanism is yet to be deciphered.Purpose: To explore the mechanism of CS for the treatment of psoriasis.Methods: The imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like lesion mouse model was used to identify the targets and the molecular mechanisms of CS. Network pharmacology combined with RNA-seq strategy was employed to predict the targets and mechanisms of CS for psoriasis. Metabolomics approaches were used to demonstrate the complexity of CS for the treatment of psoriasis. Finally, a compound-response-enzyme-gene network was constructed based on the multi-omics results to elucidate potential connections.Results: The CS herb pair could significantly improve psoriatic lesions and reduce the inflammatory cell infiltration and proliferation of keratinocytes in skin lesions. Network pharmacology predicted that TNF, JNK, IL-6, and IL-1β could be potential targets. RNA-seq data revealed that CS could significantly regulate genes and signaling pathways associated with Th17 responses, such as IL-36, IL-1β, CCl2, CXCL16, keratin 14, keratin 5, and antimicrobial peptides S100A8 and S100A9 well as MAPK, mTOR, and other signaling pathways. Further experimental data validated that CS treatment remarkably reduced the expression of inflammatory cytokines and factors, such as CCL2, CCL7, IL1F6, IL-17, IL-23, IL-1β, TNF-α, and IL-6, and inhibited the phosphorylation of p38 and ERK1/2. This indicated that CS exerts its therapeutic effect by inhibiting the MAPK signaling pathways. In addition, metabolomic analyses demonstrated that CS treatment improved seven metabolic pathways, these included phenylalanine, tyrosine, pyruvate metabolism, carnitine metabolism, etc. Four key metabolites (L-Arginine, L-Phenylalanine, L-Carnitine, O-Acetylcarnitine) and nine differential genes (CMA1, PCBD2, TPSAB1, TPSB2, etc.) were identified that affected amino acid metabolism, carnitine metabolism, and other pathways contributing to the infiltration of Th17 cells in psoriatic lesions.Conclusion: CS could alleviate IMQ-induced psoriasis-like dermatitis by reducing the expression of cytokines and chemokines mediated by the MAPK pathway, and improved amino acid and carnitine metabolism in vivo. Our study is the first to demonstrate the complex mechanism of CS for the treatment of psoriasis and provides a new paradigm to elucidate the pharmacological effects of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) drugs for psoriasis from multiple perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We performed an updated meta-analysis to obtain a more precise estimation of the relationship between apolipoprotein E (ApoE) gene polymorphism and susceptibility to depression, as previous reports have been inconsistent. Twenty studies with 2286 depression patients and 3845 controls were included. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated to assess the association between ApoE gene polymorphism and depression using a random effects model. Results showed a significant association between ApoE gene polymorphism and susceptibility to depression in the overall population (ε2/ε3 genotype versus ε3/ε3: OR 0.76, 95% CI 0.59–0.99). Subgroup analyses indicated an association in the Caucasian population (ε2 allele versus ε3: OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.58–0.97) as well as in late-life depression (LLD) patients (ε3/ε4 genotype versus ε3/ε3: OR 1.34, 95% CI 1.07–1.68, and ε4 allele versus ε3: OR 1.30, 95% CI 1.06–1.59). We concluded that the ε2/ε3 genotype likely provided a protective effect against depression in the overall population and the ε2 allele acted as a protective factor for depression in the Caucasian population while the ε4 allele and ε3/ε4 genotype were associated with an increased risk of depression in the LLD subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Design novel peptides from the nearing aspartic acid sequence of two reported Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD)-containing peptides. • Improve the ability of peptides in the culture of human induced pluripotent stem cells. • The mechanism underlies peptide sequence-induced cell culture ability is revealed in detail. • The high affinity between peptides and corresponding integrin receptors positively correlates to its ability in cell culture. The design of novel peptide sequences and investigations of the mechanisms underlying cell adhesion is critical for the culture of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) on the peptide displaying surfaces. Recently, we reported that near-Asp sequences play an important role in the function of whole Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD)-containing peptides. In this study, two novel peptides with sequences of Ac-KGGTYRAYRGDVFTMP and Ac-KGGVFTMPRGDTYRAY were designed from reported peptides. Fortunately, the Ac-KGGVFTMPRGDTYRAY peptide exhibited excellent ability in sustaining cultures of hiPSCs. Moreover, we predicted the structural model of peptides by molecular dynamics simulation and successfully obtained the complex structure of peptides and αVβ3/αVβ5 integrin proteins through molecular docking. Finally, a strong affinity to the αVβ3 integrin receptor contributes to the excellent ability of peptide was confirmed. Study reveals the mechanisms by which RGD-containing peptides support the adhesion and provides a better peptide for hiPSCs culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]