[Corrigendum] miR­146b­5p inhibits tumorigenesis and metastasis of gallbladder cancer by targeting Toll­like receptor 4 via the nuclear factor­κB pathway.

Following the publication of the article, the authors drew to the Editor's attention that, in Fig. 4D on p. 7, the data correctly shown to represent the E­cadherin bands for the "NOZ" experiment had inadvertently been used to show the Vimentin bands. However, the authors retained their original data, and the corrected version of Fig. 4, now showing the correct data for the Vimentin bands in Fig. 4D for the "NOZ" experiment, is shown on the next page. Note that this error did not grossly affect either the results or the conclusions reported in this work. All the authors agree with the publication of this Corrigendum, and are grateful to the Editor of Oncology Reports for granting them the opportunity to correct the error that was made during the assembly of this figure. Lastly, the authors apologize to the readership for any inconvenience this error may have caused. [Oncology Reports  45: 15, 2021; DOI: 10.3892/or.2021.7966].

Enhancing simultaneous nitrogen and phosphorus availability through biochar addition during Chinese medicinal herbal residues composting: Synergism of microbes and humus.

The disposal of Chinese medicinal herbal residues (CMHRs) derived from Chinese medicine extraction poses a significant environmental challenge. Aerobic composting presents a sustainable treatment method, yet optimizing nutrient conversion remains a critical concern. This study investigated the effect and mechanism of biochar addition on nitrogen and phosphorus transformation to enhance the efficacy and quality of compost products. The findings reveal that incorporating biochar considerably enhanced the process of nutrient conversion. Specifically, biochar addition promoted the retention of bioavailable organic nitrogen and reduced nitrogen loss by 28.1 %. Meanwhile, adding biochar inhibited the conversion of available phosphorus to non-available phosphorus while enhancing its conversion to moderately available phosphorus, thereby preserving phosphorus availability post-composting. Furthermore, the inclusion of biochar altered microbial community structure and fostered organic matter retention and humus formation, ultimately affecting the modification of nitrogen and phosphorus forms. Structural equation modeling revealed that microbial community had a more pronounced impact on bioavailable organic nitrogen, while humic acid exerted a more significant effect on phosphorus availability. This research provides a viable approach and foundation for regulating the levels of nitrogen and phosphorus nutrients during composting, serving as a valuable reference for the development of sustainable utilization technologies pertaining to CMHRs.

The Feasibility of Maintaining Biological Phosphorus Removal in A-Stage via the Short Sludge Retention Time Approach: System Performance, Functional Genus Abundance, and Methanogenic Potential.

The increasing concerns on resource and energy recovery call for the modification of the current wastewater treatment strategy. This study synthetically evaluates the feasibility of the short sludge retention time approach to improve the energy recovery potential, but keeping steady biological phosphorus removal and system stability simultaneously. SBRS-SRT and SBRcontrol that simulated the short sludge retention time and conventional biological phosphorus removal processes, respectively, were set up to treat real domestic sewage for 120 d. SBRS-SRT achieved an efficient COD (91.5 ± 3.5%), PO43--P (95.4 ± 3.8%), and TP (93.5 ± 3.7%) removal and maintained the settling volume index around 50 mL/gSS when the sludge retention time was 3 d, indicating steady operational stability. The poor ammonia removal performance (15.7 ± 7.7%) and a few sequences detected in samples collected in SBRS-SRT indicated the washout of nitrifiers. The dominant phosphorus accumulating organisms Tetrasphaera and Hydrogenophaga, which were enriched with the shortened sludge retention time, was in line with the excellent phosphorus performance of SBRS-SRT. The calculated methanogenic efficiency of SBRS-SRT increased significantly, which was in line with the higher sludge yield. This study proved that the short sludge retention time is a promising and practical approach to integrate biological phosphorus removal in A-stage when re-engineering a biological nutrient removal process.

Insights into removal of sulfonamides in anaerobic activated sludge system: Mechanisms, degradation pathways and stress responses.

The fate of antibiotics in activated sludge has attracted increasing interests. However, the focus needs to shift from concerning removal efficiencies to understanding mechanisms and sludge responding to antibiotic toxicity. Herein, we operated two anaerobic sequencing batch reactors (ASBRs) for 200 days with sulfadiazine (SDZ) and sulfamethoxazole (SMX) added. The removal efficiency of SMX was higher than that of SDZ. SDZ was removed via adsorption (9.91-21.18%) and biodegradation (10.20-16.00%), while biodegradation (65.44-86.26%) was dominant for SMX removal. The mechanisms involved in adsorption and biodegradation were investigated, including adsorption strength, adsorption sites and the roles of enzymes. Protein-like substance (tryptophan) functioned vitally in adsorption by forming complexes with sulfonamides. P450 enzymes may catalyze sulfonamides degradation via hydroxylation and desulfurization. Activated sludge showed distinct responses to different sulfonamides, reflected in the changes of microbial communities and functions. These responses were related to sulfonamides removal, corresponding to the stronger adsorption capacity of activated sludge in ASBR-SDZ and degradation capacity in ASBR-SMX. Furthermore, the reasons for different removal efficiencies of sulfonamides were analyzed according to steric and electronic effects. These findings propose insights into antibiotic removal and broaden the knowledge for self-protection mechanisms of activated sludge under chronic toxicities of antibiotics.

Deciphering the transfers of antibiotic resistance genes under antibiotic exposure conditions: Driven by functional modules and bacterial community.

Antibiotics can exert selective pressures on sludge as well as affect the emergence and spread of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs). However, the underlying mechanisms of ARGs transfers are still controversial and not fully understood in sludge system. In present study, two anaerobic sequence batch reactors (ASBR) were constructed to investigate the development of ARGs exposed to two sulfonamide antibiotics (SMs, sulfadiazine SDZ and sulfamethoxazole SMX) with increasing concentrations. The abundance of corresponding ARGs and total ARGs obviously increased with presence of SMs. Functional analyses indicated that oxidative stress response, signal transduction and type IV secretion systems were triggered by SMs, which would promote ARGs transfers. Network analysis revealed 18 genera were possible hosts of ARGs, and their abundances increased with SMs. Partial least-squares path modeling suggested functional modules directly influenced mobile genetic elements (MGEs) as well as the ARGs might be driven by both functional modules and bacteria community, while bacteria community composition played a more key role. Sludge with refractory antibiotics (SDZ) may stimulate the relevant functions and shift the microbial composition to a greater extent, causing more ARGs to emerge and spread. The mechanisms of ARGs transfers are revealed from the perspective of functional modules and bacterial community in sludge system for the first time, and it could provide beneficial directions, such as oxidative stress reduction, cellular communication control, bacterial composition directional regulation, for ARGs spread controlling in the future.

miR­146b­5p inhibits tumorigenesis and metastasis of gallbladder cancer by targeting Toll­like receptor 4 via the nuclear factor­κB pathway.

Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is a carcinoma of the biliary tract, which is common in developing countries and is associated with a high fatality rate. The aim of the present study was to investigate the mechanisms underlying the occurrence and development of GBC. A decrease in the expression of miR­146b­5p and an increase in the expression of its target gene Toll­like receptor 4 (TLR4) were first observed in GBC tissues. Further study demonstrated that an increase in TLR4 expression caused by a decrease in miR­146b­5p expression led to activation of nuclear factor (NF)­κB signaling. GBC cells were cultured in vitro, and it was observed that overexpression of miR­146b­5p effectively inhibited their viability, proliferation, migration and invasion, and increased their apoptosis. Using a BALB/c nude mouse xenograft model, it was demonstrated that overexpression of miR­146b­5p was sufficient to reduce tumor volume and alleviate pathological characteristics. Overall, the results of the present study indicated that the decrease in the expression of miR­146b­5p increased TLR4 expression and indirectly activated the NF­κB signaling pathway, thereby regulating the development of GBC.

The adsorption, regeneration and engineering applications of biochar for removal organic pollutants: A review.

In recent years, with the continuous development of industry and agriculture, the content of organic pollutants in the environment has been increasing, which has caused serious pollution to the environment. Adsorption has proven to be an effective and economically viable method of removing organic contaminants. Since biochar has many advantages such as various types of raw materials, low cost, and recyclability, it can achieve the effect of turning waste into treasure when used for environmental treatment. This paper summarizes the source and production of biochar, points out its research status in the removal of organic pollutants, expounds its adsorption mechanism on organic pollutants, introduces the relevant adsorption parameters, summarizes its regeneration methods, studies its application of engineering, and finally analyses of benefits and describes the development prospects.