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Aqueous interactions of a novel ester-bonded Gemini prolinol-based surfactant, 2,2′-((adipoylbis(oxy))bis(methylene))bis(1-dodecyl-1-methylpyrrolidin-1-ium) bromide C12-6-C12PB, with dodecyl sodium sulfate (SDS), dodecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (DTAB), tetradecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (TTAB), or cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) were studied using conductomeric measurement. The experimental critical micelle concentration (CMC) was lower than the ideal CMC, and the negative interaction parameters indicate that there is a synergistic interaction between the surfactants in the binary solution. The solubilization capacities of single and binary surfactant systems towards polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (i.e., naphthalene, anthracene, and pyrene) were evaluated and are discussed in terms of the molar solubilization ratio (MSR), micelle-water partition coefficient (Km), and free energy of solubilization ( Δ G s o ). C12-6-C12PB and SDS respectively had the minimum and maximum MSR when presented individually in the solution. The MSR values in the binary system are greater than those in the single surfactant system, and this indicates that synergism in a mixed system enhances PAH solubility. With a molar ratio of 0.7:0.3, C12-6-C12PB/SDS had a relatively greater solubilization capacity for PAHs because of large aggregates. The negative value of Δ G s o indicates the spontaneity of the solubilization process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • UV 275nm -EC/Cl 2 degrades CECs with high electrical efficiency for wastewater reuse. • The •OH and RCS were quantified and [Cl 2 •−] ss was the highest in EC/Cl 2 and UV-EC/Cl 2. • TPs of DCF, LVX, CBZ, and IBU in EC/Cl 2 and UV-EC/Cl 2 were investigated. • The cytotoxicity of CBZ spiked in reclaimed water was reduced by UV-EC/Cl 2. • The E E/O for CBZ decomposition by LED UV 275nm -EC/Cl 2 was as low as 1.46 kWh m−3 order−1. Treating wastewater to augment surface water can be a practicable solution to water scarcity, while the residual contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) and inorganic ions put forward new requirements to the treatment methods. Electrochemical chlorine process (EC/Cl 2) utilizes the remaining Cl− in wastewater to generate free chlorine and radicals, which could be further improved in conjunction with LED UV 275nm irradiation (UV-EC/Cl 2). Compared to UV only and EC/Cl 2 , UV-EC/Cl 2 could effectively decompose the selected CECs at higher rates due to the much higher yield of reactive chlorine species (Cl•, ClO•, and Cl 2 •−). A MATLAB R2021a programming method was developed to estimate the order of magnitude of these radicals, and Cl 2 •− was the most abundant radical. In the UV-EC/Cl 2 system, CECs with phenolic or aniline moieties were mainly degraded by electrochemical oxidation (EC), ClO•, and Cl 2 •−; and the CECs with weakly electron-donating moieties were predominately decomposed by EC, •OH, and Cl•. The degradation pathways of levofloxacin, diclofenac, carbamazepine (CBZ), and ibuprofen were proposed according to the transformation products (TPs) detected by LC/Q-TOF-MS. Moreover, the cytotoxicity of spiked CBZ in real water samples, that were discharged to surface water, was significantly reduced by UV-EC/Cl 2. Interestingly, the electrical energy per order (E E/O) for CBZ decomposition by LED UV 275nm -EC/Cl 2 (1.46 kWh m−3 order−1) is lower than that by UV/Cl 2 , EC/Cl 2 , and UV 254nm -EC/Cl 2. The results indicate that UV-EC/Cl 2 could be used as a promising method to remediate CECs during the tertiary treatment and reuse of wastewater for augmenting surface water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The possibility of adverse effects of medical treatment (AEMT) is increasing worldwide, but little is known about AEMT in China. This study analyzed the health burden of AEMT in China in recent years through the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD) 2019 and compared it with the worldwide average level and those in different sociodemographic index (SDI) regions. Methods: We calculated the age-standardized rate (ASR) of deaths, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), years of life lost (YLLs), years lived with disability (YLDs), incidence and prevalence attributed to AEMT in China, worldwide and countries with different sociodemographic indices during 1990–2019 using the latest data and methods from the GBD 2019. Results: From 1990 to 2019, the global age-standardized death rate (ASDR), DALYs, and YLLs for AEMT showed a significant downward trend and were negatively associated with the SDI. By 2040, the ASDR is expected to reach approximately 1.58 (95% UI: 1.33–1.80). From 1990 to 2019, there was no significant change in the global incidence of AEMT. The occurrence of AEMT was related to sex, and the incidence of AEMT was greater among females. In addition, the incidence of AEMT-related injuries and burdens, such as ASR of DALYs, ASR of YLLs and ASR of YLDs, was greater among women than among men. Very old and very young people were more likely to be exposed to AEMT. Conclusions: From 1990 to 2019, progress was made worldwide in reducing the harm caused by AEMT. However, the incidence and prevalence of AEMT did not change significantly overall during this period. Therefore, the health sector should pay more attention to AEMT and take effective measures to reduce AEMT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The removal of Cr(III)-organic complexes, encompassing both decomplexation and ligand degradation, presents significant challenges in industrial wastewater treatment. As one of the most common anions in wastewater, Cl− significantly improves the efficiency of electrochemically removing Cr(III)-organic complexes through generated reactive chlorine species (RCS). In the electrochemical chlorine (EC/Cl 2) process, extensive experimentation revealed that ClO• plays a dominant role in the degradation of Cr(III)-EDTA, surpassing the effects of free chlorine, direct electrooxidation, HO•, and other RCS. Density functional theory calculations indicated that RCS, primarily Cl• and ClO•, preferentially oxidize the ligand in Cr(III)-EDTA via H-abstraction, whereas HO• trends to attack the Cr atom through electron transfer. The influential factors on the degradation efficiency of Cr(III)-EDTA, Cr(VI) yield, and total organic carbon removal in EC/Cl 2 were also assessed, including Cl− concentration, current density, and pH. Real industrial wastewater was employed as a reaction matrix to evaluate the application of the EC/Cl 2 process for treating Cr(III)-EDTA, accompanied by energy efficiency calculations. Additionally, a two-chamber reactor was established to simultaneously oxidize Cr(III)-EDTA at the anode and reduce Cr(VI) at the cathode. This study provided insight into developing RCS-dominated AOPs to effectively decomplex and decompose organic Cr(III)-complexes in Cl−-containing industrial wastewater. [Display omitted] • Cl− enhanced the energy efficiency to electrochemically remove Cr(III)-EDTA. • Cr(III)-EDTA is degraded by HO• and reactive chlorine species (RCS) in EC/Cl 2. • RCS trended to oxidize the ligand of Cr(III)-EDTA via H-abstraction. • HO• preferentially decomplex Cr(III)-EDTA via H-abstraction to produce Cr(VI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study aims to investigate the feasibility and value of modular splenic hilar lymphadenectomy (MSHL) in LTG for advanced PGC located at the greater curvature., Study Design: A retrospective-controlled research included 54 patients diagnosed with advanced PGC located at the greater curvature who underwent LTG combined with spleen-preserving hilar lymphadenectomy between January 2020 and December 2022 at the same treatment center. A total of 20 patients underwent classic splenic hilar lymphadenectomy (CSHL) using a medial approach (classic group), while 34 patients underwent MSHL (modular group). We summarized the technical points, caveats, and critical steps of the MSHL technique and observed and compared clinical indexes between the two groups., Results: All operations were successful without conversion to laparotomy. The mean operation time, mean splenic hilar lymph node dissection (LND) time, median intraoperative blood loss, and blood loss from splenic hilar LND were all significantly lower in the modular group than in the classic group (p < 0.05). The amount of NO.10 lymph nodes (LNs) was significantly higher in the modular group than in the classic group (p < 0.05). In the classic group, one patient experienced intraoperative splenic vein injury, and one experienced spleen laceration, whereas no intraoperative complications occurred in the modular group. The median postoperative feeding time, exhaust time, defecation time, and postoperative stay were all significantly lower in the modular group compared to the classic group (p < 0.05). In the modular group, one patient experienced Clavien-Dindo I complication and one Clavien-Dindo II complication, while in the classic group, one patient experienced Clavien-Dindo II complication and one Clavien-Dindo IIIa complication. There were no patient was re-hospitalized within 30 days after surgery., Conclusion: The modular splenic hilar LND technique can simplify complicated surgical procedures in SPSHL and reduce the risk of intraoperative bleeding and collateral damage., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Objective: Splenic flexure mobilization (SFM) is a major challenge in laparoscopic left hemicolectomy. This study aims to assess the safety and effectiveness of the pancreas-guided SFM technique during laparoscopic left hemicolectomy., Methods: From January 2018 to December 2023, 352 patients with left-sided colon cancer underwent laparoscopic left hemicolectomy. Based on the SFM method used, the patients were divided into the pancreas-guided group (167 cases) or the "Three Approaches Roundabout"/classic group (185 cases). Clinicopathologic characteristics and intraoperative and postoperative variables were compared between the two groups., Results: The two groups had no significant differences in baseline indicators (P > 0.05). All surgeries were successful without needing to convert to laparotomy, and there were no combined organ resections involving the spleen or pancreas in either group. The mean duration of surgery was significantly lower in the pancreas-guided group than in the classic group (P < 0.01). The median volume of intraoperative blood loss in the pancreas-guided group was lower than that in the classic group (P < 0.01). Through video playback, it was found that the retro-pancreatic space had been entered during operation in 8 cases (4.3%) in the classic group, while there were no such occurrences in the pancreas-guided group. This difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The difference in the number of lymph nodes cleared, postoperative hospital stays, and incidence of complications were not statistically significant (all P > 0.05) between the groups., Conclusion: The pancreas-guided SFM technique is a safe and feasible option for laparoscopic left hemicolectomy. Our study's findings suggest that this approach facilitates accurate access to the correct anatomic plane, potentially improving surgical efficiency., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

The CBL (Casitas B-lineage lymphoma) family, as a class of ubiquitin ligases, can regulate signal transduction and activate receptor tyrosine kinases through various tyrosine kinase-dependent pathways. There are three members of the family: c-CBL, CBL-b, and CBL-c. Numerous studies have demonstrated the important role of CBL in various cellular pathways, particularly those involved in the occurrence and progression of cancer, hematopoietic development, and regulation of T cell receptors. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to comprehensively summarize the function and regulatory role of CBL family proteins in different human tumors, as well as the progress of drug research targeting CBL family, so as to provide a broader clinical measurement strategy for the treatment of tumors., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Ren, Lv, Tao, Zhai, Chen, Yu, Zhao, Kong, Yu, Dong and Liu.)

Synergistic control of carbon emissions and pollutant concentrations can efficiently tackle climate change and air pollution. The synergistic performance and co-benefits yielded by controlling these factors are urgent and critical issues in China. Accordingly, a comprehensive indicator for assessing synergistic performance is pioneered, and co-benefits of mitigating CO 2 and PM 2.5 in Chinese cities are evaluated. Chinese synergistic performance is dominated by CO 2 variations. In 2015-2020, multiple northeastern, central, southern, and eastern cities exhibited synergistic effects by greatly reducing CO 2 emissions. The synergistic performance thereafter leads to co-benefits through environmental and economic feedbacks. The CO 2 and PM 2.5 controls in Northeast Chinese cities feature the most profound co-benefits of approximate 4800 CNY per capita, with each contributing 72 % and 28 %, respectively, to this total. The findings provide intercity synergistic performance and scientific support for policymaking., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Objective: Severe infections can lead to neuromyopathy in critically ill patients, resulting in limb weakness and difficulty in weaning from a ventilator. This study aims to assess the electrophysiological test results in patients with severe infection and their correlation with severity scores (APACHE II and SOFA)., Methods: Thirty-one patients with severe infection in the EICU were prospectively studied. Factor analysis and principal component regression were applied to develop linear models of electrophysiological diagnostic outcomes with APACHE II and SOFA scores for the entire patient cohort, the younger group (age<55) cohort, and the older group (age>55) cohort of patients with severe infections, respectively., Results: Among patients with a severe infection in the EICU, the proportion of patients without critical neuromyopathy with more than 50% F-wave presence in the median, ulnar, and tibial nerves (64.9%, 56.8%, 48.6%, respectively) was significantly higher than in the group with critical neuromyopathy (52.1%, 35.4%, 29.2%, respectively.), and the proportion of patients with critical neuromyopathy who did not elicit the three types of F wave was significantly higher in the cohort of patients with critical neuromyopathy (40.5%, 32.4%, 35.1%, respectively.) were significantly higher than in the cohort of patients without critical illness (18.8%, 12.5%, 20.8%, respectively). In addition, on average, patients with critical neuromyopathy had a much lower CMAP for the median nerve (wrist, elbow) (2.4, 1.88, respectively) (4.3, 3.9, respectively in undiagnosed cohort), ulnar nerve (wrist, elbow) (2.4, 1.88, respectively) (5.65, 5.4, respectively in undiagnosed cohort), and tibial nerve(ankle, popliteal fossa) (2.7, 1.57, respectively)(6.55, 5.3, respectively in undiagnosed cohort) nerves than patients without critical neuromyopathy, and showed more non-elicitation, which was not seen in the cohort of patients without critical neuromyopathy. The CMAP returned to normal in the cohort of patients without critical neuromyopathy. Therefore, with respect to our selected electrophysiological parameters, the two patient groups showed significant differences in terms of the specific values and statistical analysis (Table 1). Through factor analysis and principal component regression, we found that CMAP and F-wave were highly correlated with APACHE II and SOFA scores, and the correlation between the electrophysiological wave spectrum and the two scores was further quantified by principal component regression., Conclusion: Electrophysiological spectroscopy can serve as an early warning for the development of neuromuscular disease in EICU patients. Abnormal electrophysiological diagnosis prior to actual neuromuscular abnormalities and its subsequent return to normal can help identify high-risk patients and implement early interventions.

Aging is a critical risk factor for unfavorable clinical outcomes among COVID-19 patients and may impact vaccine efficacy. However, whether the senescence of T cells is associated with severe COVID-19 outcome in elderly individuals is unclear. Using flow cytometry, we analyzed the frequency of senescent T cells (Tsens) in peripheral blood from 100 hospitalized elderly COVID-19 patients and compared differences between those with mild/moderate and severe/critical illness. We also assessed correlations between the percentage of Tsens and the quantity and quality of spike-specific antibodies by ELISA, neutralizing antibody test kit, and ELISPOT assay respectively, the cytokine production profile of COVID-19 reactive T cells, and plasma soluble factors by cytometric bead array (CBA). Our study found a significantly elevated level of CD4 + Tsens in patients with severe/critical disease compared to those with mild/moderate illness. Patients with a higher level of CD4 + Tsens (>19.78%) showed a decreased survival rate compared to those with a lower level (≤19.78%). This is more pronounced among patients with breakthrough infections. The percentage of CD4 + Tsens was negatively correlated with spike-specific antibody titers, neutralization ability, and COVID-19 reactive IL-2 + CD4 + T cells. In addition, spike-specific antibody levels were positively correlated with IL-2 producing T cells and plasma IL-2 amount. Mechanistically, with defective CD40L, T cells from patients with CD4 + Tsens >19.78% were unable to support B cell proliferation and differentiation. Our data demonstrate that the percentage of CD4 + Tsens in peripheral blood may serve as a reliable biomarker for the prognosis of severe COVID-19 patients, especially in breakthrough infections. Therefore, restoring the immune response of CD4 + Tsens may be key to preventing severe illness and improving vaccine efficacy in older adults.

Dl-3-n-butylphthalide is used to treat mild and moderate acute ischemic stroke. However, the precise underlying mechanism requires further investigation. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanism of Dl-3-n-butylphthalide action by various means. We used hydrogen peroxide to induce injury to PC12 cells and RAW264.7 cells to mimic neuronal oxidative stress injury in stroke in vitro and examined the effects of Dl-3-n-butylphthalide. We found that Dl-3-n-butylphthalide pretreatment markedly inhibited the reduction in viability and reactive oxygen species production in PC12 cells caused by hydrogen peroxide and inhibited cell apoptosis. Furthermore, Dl-3-n-butylphthalide pretreatment inhibited the expression of the pro-apoptotic genes Bax and Bnip3. Dl-3-n-butylphthalide also promoted ubiquitination and degradation of hypoxia inducible factor 1α, the key transcription factor that regulates Bax and Bnip3 genes. These findings suggest that Dl-3-n-butylphthalide exhibits a neuroprotective effect on stroke by promoting hypoxia inducible factor-1α ubiquitination and degradation and inhibiting cell apoptosis., Competing Interests: None

Background: Intensive care unit-acquired weakness (ICU-AW) is a prevalent and severe neuromuscular complication in critically ill patients. It is a consequence of critical illness and is characterized by systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS)-induced metabolic stress and multiple organ dysfunctions. Moreover, ICU-AW is one of the most important factors affecting the prognosis of patients with SIRS, Electrophysiological examination is an effective method for early identification and monitoring of the course of the disease and is essential for accurate diagnosis of critical illness neuromyopathy (CINM). The data-intensive ICU environment is ideal for implementing the similarity network fusion (SNF) method. The objective of this study was to establish and validate a ICU-AW predictive model in SIRS patients, providing a practical tool for early clinical prediction., Methods: Clinical characteristics, demographic data, longitudinal neurophysiological data, and disease severity indicators of the enrolled patients were recorded. The patient data included nerve conduction, F-wave, and direct muscle stimulation (DMS) data from 94 follow-up visits as well as various scores, including Medical Research Council (MRC), sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA), acute physiology and chronic health evaluation II (APACHE II) scores and C-reactive protein (CRP). This algorithm was used to analyze electrophysiological data of emergency intensive care unit (EICU) patients with SIRS and fully exploit their similarities in age, sex, body mass index, and electrophysiological data by fusing the similarity networks of these patients with different sets of attributes. Existing patients was performed a clustering analysis and predicted the classification of new patients using spectral clustering and label propagation algorithms on the fusion network, respectively., Results: Classification prediction model categorical of ICUAW in Patients with SIRS was highly consistent with the clinical diagnosis and had high accuracy and discriminative ability. The model captures the importance of advanced age and lung infections as risk factors for ICU-AW and also demonstrates the significant prognostic value of DMS in EICU patients with SIRS and its ability to predict the development of clinical muscle weakness., Conclusions: Electrophysiological abnormalities are a critical feature of both ICU-AW and non-ICU-AW. Modeling the prediction of SIRS patients progressing to ICUAW which is conducive to early intervention, mechanism studies, and patient rehabilitation., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Background: Our study aimed to investigate whether serum total IgE and blood eosinophils were associated with radiological features of bronchiectasis in a Chinese cohort., Methods: We retrospectively enrolled bronchiectasis patients who visited Peking University Third Hospital from Jan 1 st , 2012 to Oct 7 th , 2021. The clinical, laboratory and chest CT characteristics were analyzed in association with serum total IgE level and blood eosinophil count., Results: A total of 125 bronchiectasis patients were enrolled, with 50.4% (63/125) female, and a mean age of 62.4 ± 14.1 years. The median serum total IgE level and blood eosinophil count were 47.7 (19.8, 123.0) KU/L and 140 (90, 230) cells/µl, respectively. In patients with a higher than normal (normal range, 0-60 KU/L) total IgE (43.2%, n = 54), more lobes were involved [4 (3, 5) vs. 3 (2, 4), p = 0.008], and mucus plugs were more common (25.9% vs. 9.9%, p =0.017) on HRCT, as compared to those with a normal level of total IgE. The higher IgE group was more likely to have bilateral involvement (p = 0.059), and had numerically higher Smith and Bhalla scores, but the differences were not statistically significant. In patients with an eosinophil count ≥ 150 cells/µl (49.6%, n = 62), the number of lobes involved was greater [4 (3, 5) vs. 3 (2, 4), p = 0.015], and the Smith and Bhalla scores were higher [9 (5, 12) vs. 6 (3, 9), p = 0.009, 7 (5, 11) vs. 5 (3, 9), p = 0.036]. The Smith score was correlated positively with the eosinophil count (r = 0.207, p = 0.020). Fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) was correlated with total IgE (r = 0.404, p = 0.001) and eosinophil count (r = 0.310, p = 0.014)., Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that serum total IgE and the blood eosinophil count were associated with the radiological extent and severity of bronchiectasis, necessitating further investigation on the role of T2 inflammation in structural abnormalities of this heterogeneous disease., (© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.)

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most frequent cancer worldwide with a poor prognosis. Unfortunately, there are few reports on effective biomarkers for HCC, identification of novel cancer targets is urgently needed. Lysosomes are central organelles for degradation and recycling processes in cells, and how lysosome-related genes are involved in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to identify key lysosome-related genes affecting HCC. In the present study, lysosome-related genes involved in HCC progression were screened based on the TCGA (The Cancer Genome Atlas) dataset. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were screened, and core lysosomal genes were obtained in combination with prognostic analysis and protein interaction networks. Two genes were associated with survival, and their prognostic value was validated by prognostic profiling. After mRNA expression validation and IHC, the palmitoyl protein thioesterase 1 (PPT1) gene was identified as an important lysosomal-related gene. We demonstrated that PPT1 promotes the proliferation of HCC cells in vitro. In addition, quantitative proteomics and bioinformatics analysis confirmed that PPT1 acts by affecting the metabolism, localization, and function of various macromolecular proteins. The present study reveals that PPT1 could be a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of HCC. These findings provided new insights into HCC and identified candidate gene prognosis signatures for HCC., (© 2023 The Author(s).)