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Surface modification of polypropylene is performed in this work by enzyme-catalyzed post-processing strategy. The polyDOPA was synthesized by in-situ polymerization in the present of laccase and deposited on the polypropylene surface. The effect of various process variables namely processing step, pH, time, and temperature is studied at various levels. The results show that one-bath and one-step method is the optimal mode. Various functional groups incorporated to the polymer surface are confirmed by attenuated total reflectance-Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The effect of process variables on surface morphology of polymers is evaluated by scanning electron microscopy, revealing that the surface of the polypropylene is covered with thin burrs, and these are regarded as polyDOPA adhered after treatment. Furthermore, the electrostatic charge decay time and contact angle as well as capillary wetting measurements of the modified polypropylene are 0.61 s and 75.33°, respectively, indicating its fine anti-static electricity and better wettability. Besides, this material shows dark gray colors and exhibits excellent ultraviolet-resistance performance. Interestingly, the modification process nearly has no influences on the mechanical property.

Infection caused by orthopedic titanium implants, which results in tissue damage, is a key factor in endosseous implant failure. Given the seriousness of implant infections and the limitations of antibiotic therapy, surface microstructures and antimicrobial silver coatings have emerged as prominent research areas and have displayed certain antimicrobial effects. Researchers are now working to combine the two to produce more effective antimicrobial surfaces. However, building robust and homogeneous coatings on complex microstructured surfaces is a tough task due to the limits of surface modification techniques. In this study, a novel flexible electrode brush (silver brush) instead of a traditional hard electrode was designed with electrical discharge machining, which has the ability to adapt to complex groove interiors. The results showed that the use of flexible electrode brush allowed silver to be deposited uniformly in titanium alloy microgrooves. On the surface of Ag-TC4, a uniformly covered deposit was visible, and it slowly released silver ions into a liquid environment. In vitro bacterial assays showed that a Ag-TC4 microstructured surface reduced bacterial adhesion and bacterial biofilm formation, and the antibacterial activity of Ag-TC4 against

In this study, MnCl

Due to the damage of scalp because of chemical dyes, increasing attention had been paid to the ecological dyeing of human hair. To address the need for ecological restoration and dyeing of human hair, herein, a novel approach has been proposed via laccase-mediated in situ oxidation of dihydroxy phenylalanine (dopamine). As laccase can catalyze dopamine oxidation and then polymerization to produce strongly colored polymers, different biological coloration processes of human hair based on this process were investigated: (i) Human hair was treated with laccase alone; (ii) The absorption of human hair with dopamine, followed by further catalysis of air; (iii) The absorption of human hair with dopamine, followed by further catalysis of laccase; (iv) Simultaneous laccase-mediated polymerization and dyeing of human hair; and (v) Polymerization of Dopamine with laccase and then dyeing human hair. The surface properties of dyed hair were evaluated in terms of ultraviolet (UV)-protection, color fastness, Fourier transforming infrared spectrum (FT-IR), optical microscope, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results show that best hair dyeing effect was achieved via simultaneous laccase-mediated polymerization and dyeing. The dyed hair obtained K/S values of 28, light fastness of level 5, and UPF of 100+. The optical microscope and SEM observations show that the surface of colored hair fibers was covered with thin burrs, which can be attributed to polydopamine attached with physical adhesive force and covalent reaction. FT-IR analysis shows that functional groups were present on the surface of the dyed hair which can be considered as introduction of hydroxyl radical groups. This biological stain technique may be widely used in dyeing of hair with black color.

A 72-nuclearity niobium cluster was synthesized, in which two {CuNb26O76} clusters and one {Nb20O59} cluster are fused in a triangular fashion, resulting in a {Nb12} cavity. Further, the simple nature of the species allowed its investigation by ESI-MS analysis, yielding two subunits with time.

Dendrobine is the major active ingredient of Dendrobium nobile, Dendrobium chrysotoxum, and Dendrobium fimbriatum, all of which are used in traditional Chinese medicine owing to their antitumor and anti-inflammation activities. Hence, investigation on the interaction of dendrobine with cytochrome P450 enzymes could provide a reference for the clinical application of Dendrobium. The effects of dendrobine on cytochrome P450 enzymes activities were investigated in the presence of 0, 2.5, 5, 10, 25, 50, and 100 µM dendrobine in pooled human liver microsomes. The specific inhibitors were employed as the positive control and the blank groups were set as the negative control. The Lineweaver-Burk plots were plotted to characterize the specific inhibition model and obtain the kinetic parameters. The study reveals that dendrobine significantly inhibited the activity of CYP3A4, 2C19, and 2D6 with IC50 values of 12.72, 10.84, and 15.47 µM, respectively. Moreover, the inhibition of CYP3A4 was found to be noncompetitive (Ki = 6.41 µM) and time dependent (KI = 2.541 µM−1, Kinact = 0.0452 min−1), while the inhibition of CYP2C19 and 2D6 was found to be competitive with the Ki values of 5.22 and 7.78 µM, respectively, and showed no time-dependent trends. The in vitro inhibitory effect of dendrobine implies the potential drug-drug interaction between dendrobine and CYP3A4-, 2C9-, and 2D6-metabolized drugs. Nonetheless, these findings need further in vivo validation.

A series of investigations have been carried out to study the decomposition of methylene blue (MB) by the VUV/UVC based AOPs. However, MB degradation by VUV/UVC direct photolysis has not been reported previously. For the first time, the degradation kinetics and mechanisms of methylene blue by a chemical-free technology VUV/UVC (185 nm/254 nm) irradiation were systematically investigated in bench scale. Firstly, we investigated the impact of reaction conditions (i.e., VUV power, temperature, initial pH, and initial MB concentration on the VUV/UVC irradiation process. We found that MB degradation by VUV/UVC irradiation is an endothermic reaction, and the apparent activation energy was calculated to be 14.72 kJ·mol-1, which is similar UVC/TiO2 and electrical discharge plasma system, while higher VUV power and lower initial MB concentration have enhancement effects. The degradation rate constant was a convex function of the solution pH and reached the optimal value at pH 9.19. Compared with VUV/UVC irradiation and UVC/H2O2 processes, hydroxyl radical (·OH) plays the dominated role in VUV/UVC irradiation system, while both ·OH and HO2· contribute to conventional UVC/H2O2 process. The degradation pathways were proposed including demethylation and chromophores oxidation, and the possible pathway was confirmed by combining the experimental observations with the density functional theory (DFT) calculation. In summary, this study provides the results that VUV/UVC is an effective and chemical-free technology for MB removal from water.

In order to investigate the relationship between breaking stress and whiteness in a bleaching treatment with laccase, hair samples from three biogeographically distinct populations were characterized by various chemical and physical techniques. Factors affecting whiteness and breaking stress were investigated by attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy, atomic absorption spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The results reveal that whiteness and breaking stress after bleaching are primarily influenced by the diversity of concentration of metal ions and functional groups in the hair. The hair samples with lower content of metal ions obtain better whiteness and higher stress retention. The presence of OH functional group increases the final whiteness of the hair sample, while lack of that not only decreases the whiteness but also leads to more stress loss. In addition, the presence of the C-C functional group also decreases the whiteness.

Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) are pluripotent stromal cells that can differentiate into a variety of cell types, including skin cells. High-throughput sequencing was performed on cells of different ages and cell passage, obtaining their methylation, mRNA expression, and protein profile data. The stemness of each sample was then calculated using the TCGAbiolinks package in R. Co-expression modules were identified using WGCNA, and a crosstalk analysis was performed on the corresponding modules. The ClusterProfile package was used for the functional annotation of module genes. Finally, the regulatory network diagram was visualized using the Cytoscape software. First, a total of 16 modules were identified, where 3 modules were screened that were most relevant to the phenotype. 29 genes were screened in combination of the RNA seq, DNA methylation seq and protein iTRAQ. Finally, a comprehensive landscape comprised of RNA expression, DNA methylation and protein profiles of age relevant ADSCs was constructed. Overall, the different omics of ADSCs were comprehensively analyzed in order to reveal mechanisms pertaining to their growth and development. The effects of age, cell passage, and stemness on the therapeutic effect of ADSCs were explored. Additionally, a theoretical basis for selecting appropriate ADSC donors for regenerative medicine was provided.

Efforts to synthesize degradable polymers from renewable resources are deterred by technical and economic challenges; especially, the conversion of natural building blocks into polymerizable monomers is inefficient, requiring multistep synthesis and chromatographic purification. Herein we report a chemoenzymatic process to address these challenges. An enzymatic reaction system was designed that allows for regioselective functional group transformation, efficiently converting glucose into a polymerizable monomer in quantitative yield, thus removing the need for chromatographic purification. With this key success, we further designed a continuous, three-step process, which enabled the synthesis of a sugar polymer, sugar poly(orthoester), directly from glucose in high yield (73 % from glucose). This work may provide a proof-of-concept in developing technically and economically viable approaches to address the many issues associated with current petroleum-based polymers.

In this study, human adipose stem cells were isolated from subcutaneous fat in the thigh (htASCs), abdomen (haASCs) and breast (hbASCs). Flow cytometry was used to detect cell surface markers, and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect paracrine activity. Paracrine gene expression in the three cell types was examined using real-time qPCR, and adipogenic ability was assessed using Oil Red O staining. RNA from third-passage haASCs and hbASCs was sequenced. The results showed that the differentiation potential marker markers CD49d and CD54 were similar across hbASCs from 10 subjects. The hbASCs showed higher colony forming ability and expression of fibroblast growth factor-2, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 and stromal cell derived factor-1 than htASCs and haASCs. Stimulating hbASCs with FGF2 promoted adipogenic differentiation, while treating the cells with the PI3K inhibitor LY294002 inhibited differentiation. These results suggest that the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway can promote proliferation and adipogenic differentiation of adipose stem cells, and that activation of this pathway by FGF2 may explain why hbASCs show greater proliferation and adipogenic differentiation than haASCs and htASCs.

A new organic–inorganic hybrid heteropolyoxoniobate, [{Cu(en)(H2O)4}{Cu(en)2(H2O)}{Cu(en)2(H2O)2}]1.5[H8SiTe8Nb15O64]·6H2O (1; en = ethanediamine), has been successfully synthesized by a convention...

In this study, the phenyl-modified mesoporous materials were successfully synthesized using phenyl-organosilanes (trimethoxyphenylsilane and triethoxyphenylsilanea) by one-pot co-condensation method for the removal of estrone (E1), 17β-estradiol (E2), and 17α-ethinyl estradiol (EE2). Both the triethoxyphenylsilane-modified material (20%EtPh-MCM-41) and trimethoxyphenylsilane-modified material (20%MePh-MCM-41) could rapidly achieve equilibrium in 30 min at low adsorbent dosage of 0.025 g L−1. But the different hydrolysable groups of trimethoxyphenylsilane and triethoxyphenylsilane led to the discrepancies in physicochemical properties of the 20%EtPh-MCM-41 and 20%MePh-MCM-41, and thus affected adsorption performance. The 20%EtPh-MCM-41 exhibited the faster estrogen adsorption rates expressed in pseudo-second-order kinetic constant than the 20%MePh-MCM-41 due to the more hydrophobicity. Conversely, the 20%MePh-MCM-41 had much more estrogen adsorption capacities than the 20%EtPh-MCM-41 because of the more available adsorption sites. The addition of the phenyl-organosilane improved estrogen adsorption by π-π and hydrophobic interactions, and the Langmuir-model-based maximum adsorption amounts could reach 99.02, 83.47, and 53.60 mg g−1 for EE2, E2, and E1, respectively. But excessive concentration of phenyl-organosilane decreased adsorption capacities due to poor pore structure. Alkaline solution, which induced estrogen deprotonation and negative surface charge of absorbents, inhibited estrogen adsorption by electrostatic repulsion and the decreased hydrophobic interaction, but acidic and neutral solutions, ionic strength, and humic acid did not significantly affect estrogen removal. This work not only showed the high potential of trimethoxyphenylsilane-modified MCM-41 used in water purification for steroid estrogens, but also demonstrated the suitable selection of organosilane precursors was key in producing favorable materials with designed functionality.

It has been generally confirmed that zinc finger and BTB domain containing 7A (ZBTB7A) plays an important role in the occurrence and progression of malignant tumours, but the promotion or inhibition effect is related to tumour type. The mechanism between ZBTB7A and breast cancer is not well understood, so further research is needed. In this study, we first investigated the expression of ZBTB7A in tissue samples of clinical breast cancer patients, MDA-MB-231, MCF-7 and MCF-10A cells. Second, we overexpressed the ZBTB7A in MCF-7 cells and silenced the ZBTB7A in MDA-MB-231 cells using lentivirus transfection technology, respectively, and verified the effect of ZBTB7A on migration and invasion of breast cancer cell lines through in vitro cell function experiments, such as wound-healing assay, migration and invasion assay, quantitative real time reverse transcriptase (qRT-PCR) and western blot. Then, the correlation between the above influences, epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) and NF-κB was analysed. Finally, in vivo tumour transplantation model in nude mice was established to verified the effect of ZBTB7A on metastasis of breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells. In conclusion, ZBTB7A is highly expressed in cancer tissue, breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7. Meanwhile, the high expression of ZBTB7A may promote cell migration, invasion and tumour metastasis, which may be related to EMT events by regulating NF-κB.

Triptolide has been indicated potent anti-cancer effect involving multiple molecular targets and signaling pathways. High-mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) is a highly conserved DNA-binding protein taking part in breast cancer development. The therapeutic effect of triptolide on HMGB1 has not been reported. Thus, our study aims to clarify the role of HMGB1 in triptolide-induced anti-growth effect on breast cancer in vitro and in vivo. We demonstrated that triptolide significantly suppressed growth of breast cancer cells by inhibition of cell viability, clonogenic ability. Further studies evidenced that triptolide treatment not only inhibited HMGB1 mRNA expression, but also decreased supernatant level of HMGB1 in vitro. In line with these observations, exogenous recombinant HMGB1 (rHMGB1) promoted cell proliferation of breast cancer, and triptolide reversed the rHMGB1-promoted proliferative effect. As well, triptolide enhanced the anti-proliferative activity of ethyl pyruvate (EP) (HMGB1 inhibitor). Furthermore, downstream correlation factors (Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and phosphorylated-nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) p65) of HMGB1 were significantly decreased in vitro after triptolide treatment. Consistantly, we confirmed that tumor growth was significantly inhibited after triptolide treatment in vivo. Meanwhile, immunohistochemical analyses showed that triptolide treatment significantly decreased the level of cytoplasmic HMGB1 and TLR4 expression, whereas the expression of NF-κB p65 was relatively higher in cytoplasm, and conversely lower in nucleus as compared to the control group. Collectively, these results demonstrate that triptolide suppresses the growth of breast cancer cells via reduction of HMGB1 expression in vitro and in vivo, which may provide new insights into the treament of breast cancer.

A novel hetero selenato–phosphato–peroxopolyoxoniobate with the formula Cs4H4[P2Se2Nb6(O2)6O22]·10H2O has been successfully isolated in an acidified aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution. The synthesized cluster represents the first example of a selenium-containing polyoxoniobate. Furthermore, the ESI-MS spectra show that the polyoxoanion structural unit [P2Se2Nb6(O2)6O22]8− remains intact in aqueous solution.

Self-assembly reactions of the Lindqvist-ion salt K7HNb6O19·13H2O, SeO2, and [Cu(2,2′-bipy)]2+ give, depending on different routes, two isopolyoxoniobates based on {Nb16} and {Nb20}, respectively, which, as new members of the very limited isopolyoxoniobate family, are observed for the first time. Furthermore, the solution behavior was investigated to determine the stability of the {Nb16} cluster in water.

Fluoroquinolones in aquatic environments have caused worldwide concern due to the negative effects on human health and ecological environment. So far, the performance and mechanism for fluoroquinolones removal by the synergistic activation of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) via vacuum UV (VUV) irradiation and Fe2+ are still blank. Herein, compared with its sub-processes, VUV/Fe2+/PMS process significantly improved the degradation and mineralization efficiencies of three fluoroquinolones. Effect mechanisms of typical parameters (Fe2+ and PMS doses, initial pH) on norfloxacin (NOR) removal by VUV/Fe2+/PMS were elaborated and VUV/Fe2+/PMS showed excellent performance at wide initial pH (3−10). The results of fluorescence molecular probe and radical trapping experiments proved that hydroxyl radical, singlet oxygen, and sulfate radical were primary reactive oxygen species in VUV/Fe2+/PMS. The degradation pathways of NOR in VUV/Fe2+/PMS were mainly defluorination, piperazine ring transformation and quinolone group transformation, and its main inorganic by-products were F - , NO 3 − , and NH 4 + . Besides, the synergistic reaction pathways in integrated VUV/Fe2+/PMS process were elaborated. Furthermore, inorganic anions (such as Cl - , NO 3 - , SO 4 2 - , CO 3 2 - ) hardly affected NOR removal by VUV/Fe2+/PMS, while dissolved organic matter showed slight inhibition. Finally, well-pleasing results of fluoroquinolones removal by VUV/Fe2+/PMS in actual waters highlighted its superiority in the advanced treatment of secondary effluent.

A 72-nuclearity niobium cluster was synthesized, in which two {CuNb26O76} clusters and one {Nb20O59} cluster are fused in a triangular fashion, resulting in a {Nb12} cavity. Further, the simple nature of the species allowed its investigation by ESI-MS analysis, yielding two subunits with time.

Maojian Chen,1,* Chanchan Xiao,2,* Wei Jiang,3 Weiping Yang,4 Qinghong Qin,1 Qixing Tan,1 Bin Lian,1 Zhijie Liang,5 Changyuan Wei1 1Department of Breast Surgery, Guangxi Medical University Cancer Hospital, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School of Medicine and Public Health, Jinan University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510632, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Medical Oncology, Guangxi Medical University Cancer Hospital, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, People’s Republic of China; 4Department of Ultrasound Diagnosis, Guangxi Medical University Cancer Hospital, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Gland Surgery, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University & The First People’s Hospital of Nanning, Nanning, Guangxi 530022, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Changyuan WeiDepartment of Breast Surgery, Guangxi Medical University Cancer Hospital, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, People’s Republic of ChinaTel/Fax +86 0771 5308593Email changyuanwei@gxmu.edu.cnBackground: As a natural compound extracted from a variety of hot peppers, capsaicin has drawn increasing attention to its anti-cancer effects against multiple human cancers including breast cancer. FBI-1 is a major proto-oncogene negatively regulating the transcription of many tumor suppressor genes, and plays a vital role in tumorigenesis and progression. However, whether FBI-1 is involved in capsaicin-induced breast cancer suppression has yet to be ascertained. This study aimed to investigate the effects of capsaicin on proliferation and apoptosis and its association with FBI-1 expression in breast cancer.Methods: CCK-8 and morphological observation assay were employed to detect cell proliferation. Flow cytometry and TUNEL assay were conducted to detect cell apoptosis. RNA interference technique was used to overexpress or silence FBI-1 expression. qRT-PCR and/or Western blot analysis were applied to detect the protein expression of FBI-1, Ki-67, Bcl-2, Bax, cleaved-Caspase 3, Survivin and NF-κB p65. Xenograft model in nude mice was established to assess the in vivo effects.Results: Capsaicin significantly inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis in breast cancer in vitro and in vivo, along with decreased FBI-1, Ki-67, Bcl-2 and Survivin protein expression, increased Bax protein expression and activated Caspase 3. Furthermore, FBI-1 overexpression obviously attenuated the capsaicin-induced anti-proliferation and pro-apoptosis effect, accompanied with the above-mentioned proteins reversed, whereas FBI-1 silencing generated exactly the opposite response. In addition, as a target gene of FBI-1, NF-κB was inactivated by p65 nuclear translocation suppressed with capsaicin treatment, which was perceptibly weakened with FBI-1 overexpression or enhanced with FBI-1 silencing.Conclusion: This study reveals that FBI-1 is closely involved in capsaicin-induced anti-proliferation and pro-apoptosis of breast cancer. The underlying mechanism may be related to down-regulation of FBI-1-mediated NF-κB pathway. Targeting FBI-1 with capsaicin may be a promising therapeutic strategy in patients with breast cancer.Keywords: capsaicin, breast cancer, proliferation, apoptosis, FBI-1, NF-κB

A new polyoxoniobate constructed by four {Nb27} building blocks, K11[Cu(en)2(H2O)2]2[H29{Cu(en)2}4{Cu0.5(en)2}4{Cu(en)2(H2O)}4(OH)4(Nb27O75)4]·103H2O (en = ethanediamine), has been synthesized and characterized. Four {Nb27} inorganic blocks are linked by metal-organic components [Cu(en)2]2+, forming a tetrameric organic–inorganic hybrid. The structure is characterized by IR spectroscopy, XRD, UV–vis, EPR, single crystal X-ray diffraction, thermal gravimetric analysis and elemental analysis. Furthermore, the solution behavior was investigated indicating the integrity of {Nb27} building block, which shows the possibility that it might be an excellent precursor for functionalization.

Severe burns are acute wounds caused by local heat exposure, resulting in life-threatening systemic effects and poor survival. However, the specific molecular mechanisms remain unclear. First, we downloaded gene expression data related to severe burns from the GEO database (GSE19743, GSE37069, and GSE77791). Then, a gene expression analysis was performed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and construct protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. The molecular mechanism was identified by enrichment analysis and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis. In addition, STEM software was used to screen for genes persistently expressed during response to severe burns, and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to identify key DEGs. A total of 2631 upregulated and 3451 downregulated DEGs were identified. PPI network analysis clustered these DEGs into 13 modules. Importantly, module genes mostly related with immune responses and metabolism. In addition, we identified genes persistently altered during the response to severe burns corresponding to survival and death status. Among the genes with high area under the ROC curve in the PPI network gene, CCL5 and LCK were identified as key DEGs, which may affect the prognosis of burn patients. Gene set variation analysis showed that the immune response was inhibited and several types of immune cells were decreased, while the metabolic response was enhanced. The results showed that persistent gene expression changes occur in response to severe burns, which may underlie chronic alterations in physiological pathways. Identifying the key altered genes may reveal potential therapeutic targets for mitigating the effects of severe burns.

In this paper, a laser interferometer hydrophone is made according to Michelson interference principle. By tracking compensation, the performance of the hydrophone is effectively improved and its anti-interference ability is improved. Through theoretical analysis of the hydrophone, it is found that the vibration film will bring errors to the measurement results of the hydrophone, but the measurement error can be reduced by selecting different types of vibrating membrane. In addition, the laser interferometric hydrophone is applied to the noise measurement of offshore marine environment. The offshore ocean observation experiment shows that the laser interferometric hydrophone can measure the noise parameters of the marine environment, and has good frequency band adaptability and accuracy.

Ferrate (Fe(VI)) is usually effective for oxidizing a variety of organic pollutants within a few seconds, but some recalcitrant asorganophosphorus pesticides such as dimethoate require higher dose of Fe(VI) and inorganic phosphorus produced by mineralization is difficult to remove. In this study, acid-activated ferrate (Fe(VI)) was firstly used to degrade organophosphorus pesticides dimethoate and simultaneously remove total phosphorus (TP) from solution under simulated sunlight. At a Fe(VI):dimethoate molar radio of 15:1, dimethoate was almost completely removed within 20 min and 47% of TP in the solution was removed by the reduction product of Fe(VI) within 240 min. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and terephthalic acid (TA) fluorescence experiments showed that •OH radicals were continuously generated in the system, and •OH formation pathway was proposed. Importantly, the involvement of •OH in acid-activated Fe(VI) process was confirmed for the first time by EPR. In the acid-activated Fe(VI)/simulated sunlight system, the removal of dimethoate and TP gradually increased with the decrement of activation pH, whereas the increase of molar ratio of Fe(VI):dimethoate enhanced the removal of dimethoate and TP. The addition of inorganic anions (HCO3- and NO2-) had obvious inhibitory effects on dimethoate and TP removal. Eight degradation products including O,O,S-trimethylphosphorothiate, omethoate and 2-S-methyl-(N-methyl) acetamide were determined by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis, and two possible degradation pathways were proposed. The insights gained from this study open a new avenue to simultaneously degrade and remove organic contaminants.

The treatment of organic pigments has gained significant attention worldwide owing to the large amounts of pollutants emitted during the process. The main purpose of this study is to prepare an environmentally friendly, low-cost adsorbent with high efficiency with selective adsorption for water purification. An inorganically modified mesoporous biochar derived from sorghum straw was synthesized in one step, and three typical organic pigments including methyl blue (MB), acid orange 7 (AO7), and alizarin red (AR) were selected as cationic, azo, and anionic pigments, respectively. The characterization results demonstrated that Fe3O4 particles successfully attached to the surface of biochar after modification. Although the enhanced adsorption behaviors of the three pigments on the modified biochar were described effectively by the Langmuir isotherm, the as-prepared materials showed a better selective adsorption effect on the cationic pigments. Moreover, the adsorption processes of all targeted pigments were endothermic and governed by entropy. Smaller molecular dimensions, lighter molecular weight, and the low molecular electrostatic potential of MB are responsible for its selective adsorption; however, the enhanced adsorption affinity is attributed to the hydrogen bond and n-π interaction with the benzene ring of the pigment molecules.

Purpose There has been a resurgence of interest in the tumor stroma in recent years. Whether the relative abundance of various stromal cells can be used as a classification system for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) remain elusive.Methods We applied single-cell RNA-sequence (scRNA-seq) data from two MIBCs to identify stromal cell (CD45 negative cells) clusters and the marker gene set of each cell cluster. The single sample gene set enrichment analysis method is used to estimate the relative abundance of the cell clusters in each MIBC sample from The Cancer Genome Atlas. Subsequently, k-means clustering was performed to cluster the MIBCs. Prognosis, oncogenic pathway enrichment score, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) score, gene mutation frequency, and tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) were compared among the stromal component-based types of MIBC.ResultsIn the scRNA-seq analysis, a total of nine cell clusters mainly composed of four types of cells were identified. Cell clusters 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7 were considered as bladder epithelial cells, the cells in clusters 5 and 8 were mainly recognized as stem cells and fibroblasts, and the cell cluster 6 was recognized were endothelial cells. The 408 MIBC samples were classified into three types. Type 1 and 3, the “stromal-sufficient” type I and II with higher stromal cells, and Type 2, the “stromal-desert” type with lower stromal cells. The stromal-desert type had significantly better overall survival. As the tumor progresses, the stromal component of the stromal-desert type increases and change into the stromal-sufficient type. Increased stromal cells may come from EMT. The enrichment scores of multiple oncogenic pathways in stromal-sufficient types were significantly higher than those in stromal-desert type. More TILs were found in stromal-sufficient type, but their function may be inhibited by stromal cells. In addition, the three stromal types of MIBC may have specific gene mutation characteristics.Conclusions We proposed a novel stromal component-based classification system to divided into MIBC three phenotype. The three types of MIBC differ in various biological characteristics. The progress of MIBC may be summarized as the process of gradually increasing stromal components and constructing a microenvironment suitable for cancer cells.

N-nitrosamines (NAs), a class of emerging nitrogenous disinfection byproducts, have been detected remarkably in drinking/reclaimed water. There is a significant risk of excessive levels of NAs in the chlorination of the polluted source water, especially in the direct chlorination of nitrite-enriched groundwater. Considering the co-pollution of nitrite and micro-organic pollutants on groundwater, experiments were conducted on chlorination of nitrite-enriched water with precursor of antibiotics, and it was confirmed that the Cl 2 : N (molar ratio of chlorine to nitrite), contacting time, pH, and DO appreciably influenced the NAs formation potential. The molecular electric potential revealed that different dissociation status of precursors has a specific correlation with NAs formation potential (FP). The nitrite significantly increased the NAs FP because the reactive nitrogen species (RNS) formed in the oxidation process from nitrite to nitrate. Sequences of transformation products are determined to support the RNS promoted hypothesis of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) formation mechanism; furthermore, theoretical investigation in the reaction of dimethylamine (DMA) with different RNS verified the above hypothesis.

By adopting different crystal growth methods, two novel organic-inorganic hybrids, [{Cu(phen)}6(H2O)(Te5Nb15.5Cu0.5O57)]3.5- and its dimer, have been successfully synthesized. These are fabricated by simple compound reactions and directed by the tellurite anions, which act as heteroanion templates and linkers, as well as a pendant ligand. The compounds were characterized by IR spectra, UV/vis, thermogravimetric analysis, and single crystal X-ray diffraction. Furthermore, the solution behavior was also investigated.

A novel flake-ball-like magnetic Fe3O4/γ-MnO2 meso-porous nano-composite was synthesized and characterized for defluoridation. Adsorption process, characters, and effects of solution chemistry on the adsorption of flourinion in Fe3O4/γ-MnO2 were evaluated. The results show that the adsorption of fluorinion in the Fe3O4/γ-MnO2 nano-composite is fitted with the Pseudo-first model and the Langmuir model, indicating that the adsorption process of fluorinion in the Fe3O4/γ-MnO2 nano-composite was a physical process and not only controlled by the film diffusion but also controlled by the intra-particle diffusion and surface adsorption. It shows that the adsorption of fluorinion sharply decrease with the increase of pH due to the negative changed surface of Fe3O4/γ-MnO2 in water and the competition of OH− for the active points. The competition from decreases the adsorption of fluoride in the order of Cl− Mn bond in the raw adsorbent supported the active site (O Mn OH) for fluoride adsorption by forming an O Mn F bond on the surface of Fe3O4/γ-MnO2.