Mn(II) Oxidation by Free Chlorine Catalyzed by the Hydrolytic Products of Ferric and Aluminum Species under Drinking Water Conditions.

Mn(II) oxidation by free chlorine can be applied to remove Mn(II) at water treatment plants. This reaction also results in particulate MnOx formation and accumulation in drinking water distribution systems. This study investigated the effect of Fe(III) and Al(III) hydrolysis products (mainly precipitates) on Mn(II) oxidation by free chlorine under drinking water conditions. The results showed that Fe3+ added as FeCl3 and Al(III) added as polyaluminum chloride (PACl) at tens to hundreds of micrograms per liter dramatically catalyzed Mn(II) oxidation by free chlorine. Through hydrolytic precipitation at circumneutral pH, Fe3+ and Al13 (the dominant preformed Al species in PACl) generated Fe(OH)3-like particles and Al13 aggregates, respectively, which initiated heterogeneous Mn(II) oxidation. Kinetic modeling indicated that, once some MnOx was formed, MnOx and Fe(OH)3 catalyzed the subsequent Mn(II) oxidation to an equal extent. The particles (aggregates) formed from Al13 species exhibited a weaker catalytic capacity in comparison to MnOx and Fe(OH)3 at equivalent molar concentrations. Interestingly, unlike Al13 species in PACl, Al(III) added as AlCl3 had a negligible influence on Mn(II) oxidation, even when Al(OH)3(am) precipitates were formed. The catalytic effects of Fe3+ and Al13 hydrolysis products were confirmed by experiments with natural water and finished water, and the lower Mn(II) oxidation rate was mainly attributed to organic matter.

Chloramine Prevents Manganese Accumulation in Drinking Water Pipes Compared to Free Chlorine by Simultaneously Inhibiting Abiotic and Biotic Mn(II) Oxidation.

The oxidation of residual Mn(II) in finished water can lead to MnOx deposit formation in drinking water pipes. Previous work has illustrated that microbes readily cause Mn deposit build-up in nondisinfected pipes. Here, we investigated how disinfectant type and dose affected Mn(II) oxidation and MnOx accumulation through long-term pipe experiments using water produced by a full-scale water treatment plant. The results showed that Mn(II) oxidation initiated quickly in the new pipes chlorinated with 1.0 mg/L free chlorine. After 130 days of MnOx accumulation, 100 µg/L Mn(II) in water could drop to 1.0 µg/L within 1.5 h, resulting from autocatalytic Mn(II) oxidation and Mn(II) adsorption by MnOx deposits accumulated on pipe walls. In contrast to chlorination, chloramination (1.0 mg/L Cl2) caused almost no MnOx accumulation during the entire study period. The underlying mechanism was probably that monochloramine inhibited microbial Mn(II) oxidation without causing significant abiotic Mn(II) oxidation like free chlorine. A low free chlorine dose (0.3 mg/L) also reduced Mn deposit formation by mass but to a lesser extent than chloramination. After disinfection (chlorination or chloramination) was discontinued for days, biotic Mn(II) oxidation occurred, and this process was inhibited again once disinfection was resumed. In addition, Fe(III) of 200 µg/L enhanced the stability of MnOx accumulated on pipe surfaces, while humic acid induced MnOx deposit resuspension. Overall, this study highlighted the regulating role of disinfectants in MnOx formation and provided insights into developing appropriate disinfection strategies for Mn deposit control.

Initial Formation and Accumulation of Manganese Deposits in Drinking Water Pipes: Investigating the Role of Microbial-Mediated Processes.

Microbial Mn(II) oxidation occurs in areas with insufficient disinfectants in drinking water distribution systems. However, the overall processes of microbial-mediated Mn deposit formation are unclear. This research investigated the initial Mn(II) oxidation, deposit accumulation, and biofilm development in pipe loops fed with nondisinfected finished water for 300 days. The results show that it took 20 days for microbial Mn(II) oxidation and deposition to be initiated visibly in new pipes continuously receiving 100 µg/L Mn(II). Once started, the deposit accumulation accelerated. A pseudo-first-order kinetic model could simulate the disappearance of Mn(II) in well-mixed pipe loop water. The observed rate constant reached 2.81 h-1 [corresponding to a Mn(II) half-life of 0.25 h] after 136 days of operation. Without oxygen, Mn(II) in the water also decreased rapidly to 1.0 µg/L through adsorption to deposits, indicating that after the initial microbial formation of MnOx, subsequent MnOx accumulation was attributable to a combination of microbial and physicochemical processes. Compared to the no-Mn condition, Mn(II) input resulted in 1 order of magnitude increase in biofilm formation. This study sheds light on the increasingly rapid processes of Mn accumulation on the inner surfaces of water pipes resulting from the biological activity of Mn(II)-oxidizing biofilms and the build-up of MnOx with strong adsorption capacity.

Effect of Aluminum on Lead Release to Drinking Water from Scales of Corrosion Products.

The occurrence of aluminum in scales on lead pipes is common. This study aimed to identify factors that influence Al accumulation on oxidized lead surfaces and to determine whether the presence of Al impacts Pb release from corrosion products to water. Al accumulation and Pb release were monitored both with and without the addition of phosphate as a corrosion inhibitor. Pb coupons with corrosion scales were exposed to chlorinated water for up to 198 days to investigate Al accumulation and Pb release. Al accumulation was facilitated by Pb corrosion products, but its accumulation was inhibited by phosphate addition. During the study period, the formation of Al deposits did not affect Pb release when phosphate was absent. In an Al-free system, the addition of 1.0 mg/L phosphate (as P) lowered the dissolved Pb concentration below 1.0 µg/L. In a system containing 200 µg/L Al, the emergence of phosphate's effect on Pb control was delayed, and the dissolved Pb concentration decreased but stabilized at a higher value (10-12 µg/L) than in the Al-free system. Phosphohedyphane (Ca2Pb3(PO4)3Cl) was formed in all phosphate-containing systems, and PbO2 was formed independent of phosphate addition. The effect of Al on Pb release was probably related to its influence on the composition and morphology of Pb-containing minerals on coupon surfaces. The laboratory study has unavoidable limitations in its ability to simulate all conditions in real lead service lines, but this study still highlights the importance of considering the influence of Al when designing Pb corrosion control strategies.

Effect of Cu(II) on Mn(II) Oxidation by Free Chlorine To Form Mn Oxides at Drinking Water Conditions.

The chemical oxidation of dissolved Mn(II) to Mn(III/IV) oxides (MnOx) can lead to the accumulation of Mn deposits in drinking water distribution systems. However, Mn(II) oxidation by free chlorine is quite slow under mild conditions (e.g., pH 7.7 and 1.0 mg/L Cl2). This study found a significant role for Cu(II) in Mn(II) oxidation under conditions relevant to the supply of chlorinated drinking water. At pH 7.7, dissolved Cu(II) accelerated Mn(II) oxidation more than 10 times with a dose of 20 µg/L. Solid characterization revealed that during Mn(II) oxidation, Cu(II) adsorbed to freshly formed MnOx and produced Mn-Cu mixtures (denoted as MnOx-Cu(II)). An autocatalytic model for the reaction kinetics suggested that the freshly formed MnOx-Cu(II) had a much higher catalytic activity than that of pure MnOx. Solid CuO also catalyzed Mn(II) oxidation, and kinetic modeling indicated that after an initial oxidation of Mn(II) facilitated by the CuO surface, the freshly formed MnOx-Cu(II) on CuO surface played the dominant role in accelerating further Mn(II) oxidation. This study indicates a high potential for the formation of Mn oxides at locations in a drinking water distribution system or in premise plumbing where both Mn(II) and Cu(II) are available. It provides insights into the co-occurrence of other metals with Mn deposits that is frequently observed in distribution systems.

Revealing the changes of bacterial community from water source to consumers tap: A full-scale investigation in eastern city of China.

This study profiled the bacterial community variations of water from four water treatment systems, including coagulation, sedimentation, sand filtration, ozonation-biological activated carbon filtration (O3-BAC), disinfection, and the tap water after the distribution process in eastern China. The results showed that different water treatment processes affected the bacterial community structure in different ways. The traditional treatment processes, including coagulation, sedimentation and sand filtration, reduced the total bacterial count, while they had little effect on the bacterial community structure in the treated water (before disinfection). Compared to the traditional treatment process, O3-BAC reduced the relative abundance of Sphingomonas in the finished water. In addition, ozonation may play a role in reducing the relative abundance of Mycobacterium. NaClO and ClO2 had different effects on the bacterial community in the finished water. The relative abundance of some bacteria (e.g. Flavobacterium, Phreatobacter and Porphyrobacter) increased in the finished water after ClO2 disinfection. The relative abundance of Mycobacterium and Legionella, which have been widely reported as waterborne opportunistic pathogens, increased after NaClO disinfection. In addition, some microorganisms proliferated and grew in the distribution system, which could lead to turbidity increases in the tap water. Compared to those in the finished water, the relative abundance of Sphingomonas, Hyphomicrobium, Phreatobacter, Rheinheimera, Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter increased in the tap water disinfected with NaClO, while the relative abundance of Mycobacterium increased in the tap water disinfected with ClO2. Overall, this study provided the detailed variation in the bacterial community in the drinking water system.

Reduced formation of brominated trihalomethanes during chlorination of bromide-containing waters in the presence of Mn(II).

Manganese(II) (Mn(II)) and bromide (Br-) are common in natural waters. This study investigated the effect of in-situ Mn(II) oxidation and preformed MnOx on the brominated trihalomethane (Br-THM) formation during chlorination of bromide-containing waters. The results showed Br-THM formation could be substantially inhibited by in-situ Mn(II) oxidation, but the addition of preformed MnOx had limited influence on Br-THM formation during chlorination of bromide-containing waters. Analysis of bromine species showed that about 30 % bromine species were incorporated into the MnOx particles and formed MnOx-Br during the in-situ Mn(II) oxidation process. Consequently, the availability of reactive bromine species for the reaction with dissolved organic matter (DOM) reduced, leading to less Br-THM formation. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis of in-situ Mn(II) oxidation product indicated the presence of Br- decreased the crystallinity of Mn oxides, verifying the bromine species entered MnOx crystal. However, the adsorptive uptake of bromine species by preformed MnOx was negligible and had no impact on Br-THM formation. Inhibition rate of Mn(II) oxidation on THM formation decreased with increasing specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA254) value of filtered water, showing SUVA254 could be a good indicator of DOM competition ability for oxidant with Mn(II). In addition, Excitation/Emission Matrix indicated that Mn(II) could form complexes with humic substances, which might also retard the reaction between humic substances and oxidant to form Br-THMs. This study highlighted the inhibiting effect of in-situ Mn(II) oxidation on Br-THM formation during chlorination of bromide-containing waters.

Surface Finish Analysis of Gradient Voltage Electrochemical Polishing of 316L Stainless Steel Parts Forming by Laser Powder Bed Fusion.

Laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) of complex-structure 316L stainless steel (316L ss) parts has a wide application prospects in aerospace, biomedical, and defense industry fields. However, the surface roughness (Ra) of the LPBF sample is unsatisfactory due to the process characteristics of layer-by-layer selective melting and cumulative forming, which limits its applications in the engineering field. Herein, a gradient voltage electrochemical polishing strategy is proposed based on the characteristics of electrochemical polishing technology, which can polish complex structures. The mechanisms of polishing process parameters and polishing strategy on the surface finish of LPBF parts are investigated. The gradient voltage polishing strategy is extended to complex structures, and the Ra of the inner surfaces of square and round tubes are successfully reduced to about 1 µm. The gradient electrochemical polishing process for surface finish post-treatment of LPBF parts can broaden the engineering applications of complex-structure metal parts.

Additive manufacturing and in vitro study of biological characteristics of sulfonated polyetheretherketone-bioactive glass porous bone scaffolds.

Polyetheretherketone (PEEK), a high-performance special engineering plastic, has gradually been used in bone substitutes due to its wear resistance, acid and alkali resistance, non-toxicity, radiolucency, and modulus close to that of human bone. However, its stable biphenyl structure determines strong biological inertness, thus artificial interventions are required to improve the biological activity of fabricated PEEK parts for better clinical applications. This study developed a novel strategy for grafting bioactive glass (BAG) onto the surface of PEEK through sulfonation reaction with concentrated sulfuric acid (H2SO4), aiming to improve the bioactivity of printed porous bone scaffolds manufactured by fused deposition modeling (FDM) to meet clinical individual needs. In vitro biological study was conducted on sulfonated polyetheretherketone-bioactive glass (SPEEK-BAG) scaffolds obtained by this strategy. The results demonstrated that the optimal modification condition was a 4-hour sulfonation reaction with 1 mol/L concentrated H2SO4 at high temperature and high pressure. The scaffold obtained under this condition showed minimal cytotoxicity, and the Ca/P molar ratio, yield compressive strength, and compressive modulus of this scaffold were 2.94 ± 0.02, 62.78 MPa, and 0.186 GPa respectively. The hydrophilicity and the biomineralization ability of PEEK modified by the proposed strategy were substantially improved. The SPEEK-BAG bone scaffolds exhibited excellent biocompatible properties, suggesting that the sulfonation reaction and BAG effectively enhanced the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts. The presented method provides an innovative, highly effective, and customized strategy to improve the biocompatibility and bone repair ability of printed PEEK bone scaffolds for virous biomedical applications.

Manganese and iron oxides on pipe surface promote dissolved aluminum accumulation in drinking water distribution systems.

Aluminum-containing deposits are pervasive in drinking water distribution systems (DWDSs). However, the mechanisms driving dissolved Al transformation to pipe deposits remain elusive. This study investigated dissolved Al accumulation in DWDSs by batch experiments and long-term pipe experiments using actual finished water. PVC pipe experiments showed that dissolved Al hardly deposited on clean PVC pipe walls at alkaline pH. However, it could be substantially anchored by the pipe surface covered with Mn and Fe deposits formed from Mn(II) oxidation and Fe(III) precipitation. Batch experiments verified that the synthesized Mn and Fe oxides exhibited a strong capacity for dissolved Al uptake at pH 7.7 and 9.0 (dissolved Al was the dominant form). Biofilms on pipe walls also enhanced dissolved Al accumulation. Iron pipe experiments showed that corroded iron pipes with abundant iron corrosion products readily accumulated Al. Compared to chlorination and chloramination, non-disinfected conditions were more favorable for particulate Al deposition on iron pipe surface, probably due to Al immobilization by biofilms. In addition, continuous Al accumulation in iron pipes enhanced Fe release to pipe water. This study highlighted the important role of metal oxides in dissolved Al accumulation in DWDSs with abundant Mn and Fe solids, which provided new insights into deposit formation and control strategies.

Corroded iron pipe inhibits microbial-mediated Mn(II) oxidation and MnOx accumulation compared to PVC pipe.

MnOx deposits in distribution pipes can cause severe discoloration problems in drinking water. However, the impact of pipe materials on Mn(II) oxidation and MnOx accumulation remains unclear. This study investigated microbial-mediated Mn(II) oxidation and deposit formation through 300-day pipe loop experiments with corroded galvanized steel pipes (DN100) and new polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes (DN100). The results showed that influent Mn(II) was entirely oxidized within 48 h in the PVC pipes with biofilms in the absence of chlorine, while most influent Mn(II) remained unoxidized in the iron pipes. Dissolved oxygen (DO) monitoring showed that the DO in the PVC pipes was consistently higher than 8.0 mg/L, but that in the iron pipes dropped to 6.5 mg/L. Microbial analysis revealed that the abundance of potential Mn(II)-oxidizing bacteria in the low-DO iron pipes was less than that in the PVC pipes. Analysis of the Mn(II) concentration dynamics in different pipes revealed that the early Mn(II) disappearance in the iron pipes was contributed mainly to Mn(II) adsorption by iron corrosion products rather than microbial Mn(II) oxidation. When aeration was performed to increase the DO concentration to 8.0 mg/L in the iron pipes, complete Mn(II) oxidation occurred. This study provides insights into Mn(II) transformation in different pipes and highlights the critical role of DO in microbial Mn(II) oxidation in drinking water pipes.

Guanylate-binding protein 1 inhibits inflammatory factors produced by H5N1 virus through Its GTPase activity.

The combination of inflammatory factors resulting from an influenza A virus infection is one of the main causes of death in host animals. Studies have shown that guinea pig guanosine monophosphate binding protein 1 (guanylate-binding protein 1, gGBP1) can downregulate cytokine production induced by the influenza virus. Therefore, exploring the innate immune defense mechanism of GBP1 in the process of H5N1 influenza virus infection has important implications for understanding the pathogenic mechanism, disease prevention, and the control of influenza A virus infections. We found that, in addition to inhibiting the early replication of influenza virus, gGBP1 also inhibited the production of CCL2 and CXCL10 cytokines induced by the influenza virus as well as the proliferation of mononuclear macrophages induced by these cytokines. These findings further confirmed that gGBP1 inhibited the production of cytokines through its GTPase activity and cell proliferation through its C-terminal α-helix structure. This study revealed the effect of gGBP1 on the production of cellular inflammatory factors during influenza virus infection and determined the key amino acid residues that assist in the inhibitory processes mediated by gGBP1.

Comparative efficacy of Chinese herbal injections in patients with cardiogenic shock (CS): a systematic review and Bayesian network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: Cardiogenic shock (CS) is the primary cause of death in patients suffering acute myocardial infarction. As an emerging and efficacious therapeutic approach, Chinese herbal injections (CHIs) are gaining significant popularity in China. However, the optimal CHIs for treating CS remain uncertain. Method: We searched eight databases from inception to 30 September 2023. Subsequently, we conducted the Bayesian network meta-analysis (NMA). Interventions were ranked based on the surface under the cumulative ranking curve (SUCRA) probability values. To compare the effects of CHIs on two distinct outcomes, a clustering analysis was performed. Furthermore, the quality of the studies was assessed. Results: For the study, we included 43 RCTs, encompassing 2,707 participants. The study evaluated six herbal injections, namely, Shenfu injection (SF), Shengmai injection (SM), Shenmai injection (Sm), Danshen injection (DS), Huangqi injection (HQ), and Xinmailong injection (XML). The analysis findings suggested that Sm (MD = -1.05, 95% CI: -2.10, -0.09) and SF (MD = -0.81, 95% CI: -1.40, -0.25) showed better efficacy compared to Western medicine (WM) alone in reducing in-hospital mortality. The SUCRA values revealed that Sm + WM ranked first in terms of in-hospital mortality, cardiac index (CI), and hourly urine output but second in improving left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and mean arterial pressure (MAP). SF + WM, however, had the greatest impact on raising the clinical effective rate. In MAP, SM + WM came out on top. Moreover, in terms of safety, only 14 studies (31.8%), including five types of CHIs: SF, Sm, SM, HQ, and XML, observed adverse drug reactions. Conclusion: To summarize, this analysis discovered that, in terms of patients suffering from CS, CHIs + WM yielded significantly greater advantages than WM alone. Based on in-hospital mortality and the remaining outcomes, Sm performed excellently among all the involved CHIs. Systematic Review Registration: https:// www.Crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/, identifier: CRD42022347053.

Correction: Teng et al. Efficacy Assessment of Phage Therapy in Treating Staphylococcus aureus-Induced Mastitis in Mice. Viruses 2022, 14, 620.

In the original publication [...].

Efficient Mn(II) removal by biological granular activated carbon filtration.

Sufficient and sustainable manganese(II) removal is a challenging task to prevent Mn-related drinking water discoloration problems. This study investigated Mn(II) removal by granular activated carbon (GAC) filtration under various conditions. The results showed that biological GAC filter columns could reduce Mn(II) from 400 µg/L to 10 µg/L after a short ripening period, while sand filter columns did not show evident Mn(II) removal function. Water quality changes, pretreatment with NaClO and chemogenic MnOx coating on GAC media surface did not influence the Mn(II) removal capacity of GAC filter columns. 16S rRNA gene sequencing showed that the abundance of potential Mn(II)-oxidizing bacteria in the GAC media was similar to that in the sand media. However, qPCR results indicated that GAC media colonized dramatically more biomass than sand media, resulting in highly effective Mn(II) removal by GAC filter columns. Under chlorinated conditions, GAC filtration underperformed sand filtration in Mn(II) removal, although activated carbon has been reported to be capable of catalyzing Mn(II) oxidation by chlorine. Fast chlorine decay in GAC filter columns made it hard to sustain chemical Mn(II) oxidation and thus led to less Mn(II) removal. This study highlighted the advantage of biological GAC filtration over sand filtration in Mn(II) removal.

Suppression of performance of activated carbon filter due to residual aluminum accumulation.

Extending the lifetime of granular activated carbon (GAC) filters with no significant loss in their effectiveness is a considerable challenge for drinking water supply utilities. However, the effects of residual Al from coagulants on GAC performance are rarely considered. Herein, in-service GAC samples obtained from full-scale water treatment plants were investigated to evaluate the amount of accumulated Al. Although the Al concentration in water was two to three times lower than the Ca concentration, Al exhibited considerable accumulation (second to Ca accumulation) in in-service GAC samples (0.68-8.63 mg g-1). Surface characterization results indicated that Al accumulation could have been caused by the co-precipitation of Al with Ca and Si to form Ca4Al2Si3O10·H2O and Ca4Al6O12SO4, self-precipitation or complexion with -OH/-COOH on the GAC or biofilm surfaces. Correlation analysis of the accumulated Al and GAC properties implied that Al accumulation considerably reduced the surface area of GAC by ∼30%. Lab simulation experiments indicated that the removal of dissolved organic matter was reduced by 6-10% when additional Al was loaded. In addition, results showed that the residual Al (up to 200 µg L-1) considerably affected the extracellular polymeric substance component and microorganism community structure. In summary, strict control of residual Al is beneficial for maintaining the efficacies of GAC and biologically activated carbon.

Chondrocyte-laden gelatin/sodium alginate hydrogel integrating 3D printed PU scaffold for auricular cartilage reconstruction.

Clinically, modified autologous rib cartilage grafts and commercial implants are commonly used for intraoperative repair of auricular cartilage defects caused by injuries. However, scaffold implantation is often accompanied by various complications including absorption and collapse, resulting in undesirable clinical outcomes. Three-dimensional printed auricular cartilage scaffolds have the advantage of individual design and biofunctionality, which attracted tremendous attention in this field. In this study, to better simulate the mechanical properties of auricular cartilage, we tested PU treated by ultrasonication and high temperature for 30 min (PU-30) or 60 min (PU-60). The results indicated that the compression modulus of PU-30 was 2.21-2.48 MPa, which similar to that of natural auricular cartilage (2.22-7.23 MPa) and was chosen for subsequent experiments. And the pores of treated PU were filled with a gelatin/sodium alginate hydrogel loaded with chondrocytes. In vivo analysis using a rabbit model confirmed that implanted PU-30 scaffold filled with chondrocytes contained hydrogel successfully integrated with normal auricular cartilage, and that new cartilage was generated at the scaffold-tissue interface by histological examination. These findings illustrate that this engineered scaffold represents a potential strategy for repair of ear cartilage damage in clinical.

Metallic 4D Printing of Laser Stimulation.

4D printing of metallic shape-morphing systems can be applied in many fields, including aerospace, smart manufacturing, naval equipment, and biomedical engineering. The existing forming materials for metallic 4D printing are still very limited except shape memory alloys. Herein, a 4D printing method to endow non-shape-memory metallic materials with active properties is presented, which could overcome the shape-forming limitation of traditional material processing technologies. The thermal stress spatial control of 316L stainless steel forming parts is achieved by programming the processing parameters during a laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) process. The printed parts can realize the shape changing of selected areas during or after forming process owing to stress release generated. It is demonstrated that complex metallic shape-morphing structures can be manufactured by this method. The principles of printing parameters programmed and thermal stress pre-set are also applicable to other thermoforming materials and additive manufacturing processes, which can expand not only the materials used for 4D printing but also the applications of 4D printing technologies.

Integrated bioinformatics and network pharmacology to identify the therapeutic target and molecular mechanisms of Huangqin decoction on ulcerative Colitis.

Huangqin decoction (HQD) is a Traditional Chinese Medicine formula for ulcerative colitis. However, the pharmacology and molecular mechanism of HQD on ulcerative colitis is still unclear. Combined microarray analysis, network pharmacology, and molecular docking for revealing the therapeutic targets and molecular mechanism of HQD against ulcerative colitis. TCMSP, DrugBank, Swiss Target Prediction were utilized to search the active components and effective targets of HQD. Ulcerative colitis effective targets were obtained by microarray data from the GEO database (GSE107499). Co-targets between HQD and ulcerative colitis are obtained by Draw Venn Diagram. PPI (Protein-protein interaction) network was constructed by the STRING database. To obtain the core target, topological analysis is exploited by Cytoscape 3.7.2. GO and KEGG enrichment pathway analysis was performed to Metascape platform, and molecular docking through Autodock Vina 1.1.2 finished. 161 active components with 486 effective targets of HQD were screened. 1542 ulcerative colitis effective targets were obtained with |Log2FC|> 1 and adjusted P-value < 0.05. The Venn analysis was contained 79 co-targets. Enrichment analysis showed that HQD played a role in TNF signaling pathway, IL-17 signaling pathway, Th17 cell differentiation, etc. IL6, TNF, IL1B, PTGS2, ESR1, and PPARG with the highest degree from PPI network were successfully docked with 19 core components of HQD, respectively. According to ZINC15 database, quercetin (ZINC4175638), baicalein (ZINC3871633), and wogonin (ZINC899093) recognized as key compounds of HQD on ulcerative colitis. PTGS2, ESR1, and PPARG are potential therapeutic targets of HQD. HQD can act on multiple targets through multi-pathway, to carry out its therapeutic role in ulcerative colitis.

Performance of in-service granular activated carbon for perfluoroalkyl substances removal under changing water quality conditions.

Granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorption is one of the best available technologies for removing perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) from drinking water. However, GAC processes in full-scale drinking water treatment plants frequently encounter unstable, even negative removal efficiency on PFASs due to the lack of understanding between the GAC characteristics and the PFASs polluted water quality conditions. In this study, the scenarios of raw water pre-chlorination and emergency contamination by multiple PFASs were simulated to evaluate the PFASs control performance by in-service GAC with different properties and ages. The results showed that the adsorption of a relatively longer-chain PFAS by the in-service GAC can be achieved by replacing the pre-adsorbed natural organic matter (NOM). The increased lower molecular weight NOM after pre-chlorination could compete with PFASs for adsorption sites and exacerbate the pore blockage, thus significantly weakening the PFASs removal ability of in-service GAC. When multiple PFASs entered the water by emergency contamination, the PFASs with stronger hydrophobicity could replace the PFASs with less hydrophobicity that had previously been adsorbed on GAC. GAC with a higher proportion of micropores had a lower risk of PFASs leakage facing the water quality changes.