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The surface properties of the adsorbents and the acidic environment have an influence effect on Pb adsorption. In order to further improve the adsorption performance of biochar, we herein reported an effective method to synthesize high-adsorbed biochar by co-doping with nitrogen and phosphorus. After atom doping, the N/P co-doped biochar (NP-BC) showed the enhanced adsorption capacity for lead ion (Pb2+). The adsorption kinetics, isotherm, pH value, and influencing factors were studied. The results show that the synthesized NP-BC has high Pb2+ adsorption capacity in aqueous solution, and can be maintained with various environmental interference factors including pH, natural organic matter, and other metal ions. High adsorption performance shows that the material may be well used to remove Pb2+ in various water bodies. Various characterization experiments prove that surface properties contribute to Pb2+ adsorption, and the high performance of NP-BC is mainly due to the surface complexation between functional groups and Pb2+. This work demonstrates that the surface functional groups of biochar are critical to the development of high-performance heavy metal adsorbents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The aim was to compare the efficacy and toxicity of gemcitabine plus docetaxel (GD) with platinum-based regimens in patients with untreated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases for relevant trials. Reference lists of original articles and review articles were also examined. Abstracts presented at the ASCO and ESMO meetings were also searched. Studies were evaluated for eligibility and quality, and then, the data were extracted and analyzed. Statistical analyses were conducted by using RevMan 5.1. The primary end point was overall survival (OS). Secondary end points included 1-year survival, time to progression (TTP), overall response rate (ORR) and grade 3-4 toxicity. Results: Nine randomized controlled trials were identified ultimately. The meta-analysis demonstrated that the survival between GD and platinum-based regimens was comparable according to the pooled HR for overall survival (1.04, 95% CI = 0.96-1.12, p = 0.39) and RR for one-year survival (0.94, 95% CI = 0.84-1.06, p = 0.33). Platinum-based regimens had an advantage in TTP (HR = 1.12, 95% CI = 1.02-1.24, p = 0.02) and ORR (RR = 0.86, 95% CI = 0.74-0.99, p = 0.03). However, GD induced less grade 3-4 nausea/vomiting, anemia, neutropenia and febrile neutropenia (RR = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.15-0.86, p = 0.02; RR = 0.35, 95% CI = 0.23-0.53, p = 0.00; RR = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.52-0.88, p = 0.003; RR = 0.53, 95% CI = 0.34-0.82, p = 0.004, respectively). Grade 3-4 diarrhea, sensory neuropathy, fatigue and thrombocytopenia were comparable between the two groups. Conclusions: GD acquired similar survival with platinum-based regimens in first-line treatment of advanced NSCLC. Platinum-based regimens had an advantage in TTP and ORR with more grade 3-4 nausea/vomiting, anemia, neutropenia and febrile neutropenia compared with GD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]