Enhanced adsorption performance of oxytetracycline in aqueous solutions by Mg-Fe modified suaeda-based magnetic biochar.

Oxytetracycline (OTC) in the waste water can be removed by biochar adsorption. How to separate the biochar adsorbed antibiotics from the wastewater was also a problem. The nontoxic magnetic biochar was prepared from Suaeda biochar (800SBC) by mafic bimetal modification, and used for the removal of OTC. The results of XRD and VSM indicated that the main composition of biochar was ferrite. Then through batch adsorption experiments, the adsorption kinetics, isothermal adsorption, thermodynamics, and coexisting ion and adsorbent regeneration experiments were studied. Through the fitting of the adsorption model, it was found that Mg-Fe@800SBC(1:1) and 800SBC belonged to chemisorption. 800SBC was consistent with the Langmuir model, mainly monolayer adsorption, and Mg-Fe@800SBC(1:1) was consistent with the Freundlich model, mainly multilayer adsorption. The adsorption processes of the two materials were spontaneous, endothermic and entropic decreasing processes. The maximum adsorption capacity of the Mg-Fe@800SBC(1:1) for OTC from the Sips L-F model was 82.83 mg/g. Through various characterizations of magnetic biochar, it was found that the adsorption mechanism of the modified biochar included the hydrogen bonds between the oxygen-containing functional group of biochar and the -NH2 group of OTC, π-π EDA interaction, electrostatic attraction and complexation. Coexistence anions (CO32- and PO43-) have a negative effect on the adsorption process.

Adsorption properties and mechanism of suaeda biochar and modified materials for tetracycline.

Adsorption was an available way to eliminate Tetracycline (TC) from waste water. Suaeda biochar (800SBC) and iron modified biochar (Fe-800SBC) were prepared using pyrolysis under oxygen-limiting conditions. BET and SEM showed that the surface of Fe-800SBC was rougher, and the specific surface area (SBET) was 7 times that of 800SBC. There existed pore filling, ion exchange, metal ion complexation, hydrogen bonds and cation-π interaction mechanism. Both 800SBC and Fe-800SBC conformed to quasi-second-order kinetics model, belonged to chemisorption. Fe-800SBC conformed to Elovich model too. The adsorption process of 800SBC conformed to Freundlich and Sips L-F models, Fe-800SBC conformed to the Sips L-F and Temkin models, identifying the presence of physical and chemical adsorption during adsorption. Response surface method (RSM) was used to optimize important process parameters. The quadratic model was sufficient to predict TC removal response in the range of studied parameters.

Adsorption of sulfanilamides using biochar derived from Suaeda salsa: adsorption kinetics, isotherm, thermodynamics, and mechanism.

Suaeda biochar (SBC) was prepared by muffle furnace with Suaeda salsa at 600, 700, 800, and 900 ℃. The physical and chemical properties of biochar at different pyrolysis temperatures and the adsorption mechanism of sulfanilamide (SM) were studied by SEM-EDS, BET, FTIR, XRD, and XPS analysis. The adsorption kinetics and adsorption isotherms were fitted. The results showed that the kinetics was in line with the quasi-second-order adsorption model and belonged to chemisorption. The adsorption isotherm conformed to Langmuir adsorption isotherm model and belonged to monolayer adsorption. The adsorption of SM on SBC was spontaneous and exothermic. The adsorption mechanism may be pore filling, hydrogen bonding, and π-π electron donor acceptor (EDA) interaction.

Adsorption properties and mechanism of ginkgo biloba leaf-based materials for Cd (II) in aqueous solution.

The cheap and efficient heavy metal adsorbents were developed with the forestry and agricultural residues. In this study, three kinds of adsorbents, original ginkgo leaf (GL), NaOH modified ginkgo leaf (NaOH-GL), and KMnO4-modified ginkgo leaf (KMnO4-GL), were prepared and used to adsorb Cd (II) in aqueous solution respectively. The effects of the concentration of Cd (II), absorption time, the dosage of absorbent, and pH of solution on the adsorption process were explored by adsorption experiments. The results showed that the maximum adsorption capacity of Cd (II) by GL, NaOH-GL, and KMnO4-GL was 10.20 mg/g, 39.99 mg/g, and 48.82 mg/g, respectively, under the conditions of room temperature, adsorbent dosage 1g/L, adsorption time 300 min, and pH 6.0. The adsorption of Cd (II) by the three adsorbents accorded with the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir isothermal adsorption model, which indicated that the rate-limiting step in the adsorption process was chemical adsorption process and mainly monolayer adsorption. The reason why NaOH-GL and KMnO4-GL could effectively adsorb Cd (II) was that the surface of the modified adsorbent was rough and porous, the number of active groups on the surface increased, and Na and Mn elements could promote the precipitation of Cd (II). The mechanism analysis of KMnO4-GL, which had the best adsorption effect, showed that the adsorption mechanism of Cd (II) might be surface adsorption, ion exchange, and complexing precipitation.

Exploring Diagnostic Biomarkers and Comorbid Pathogenesis for Osteoarthritis and Metabolic Syndrome via Bioinformatics Approach.

BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome (MS) has grown in recognition to contribute to the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA), which is the most prevalent arthritis characterized by joint dysfunction. However, the specific mechanism between OA and MS remains unclear. METHODS: The gene expression profiles and clinical information data of OA and MS were retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) database. The genes in the key module of MS were identified by weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA), which intersected with the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between control and MS samples to obtain hub genes for MS. The potential functions and pathways of hub genes were detected through the Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genome (KEGG) analyses. The genes involved in the different KEGG pathways between the control and OA samples overlapped with the DEGs between the two groups via the Venn analysis to gain the hub genes for OA affected by MS (MOHGs). Additionally, the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) was performed on the MOHGs to establish a diagnostic model for each disease. RESULTS: A total of 61 hub genes for MS were identified that significantly enriched in platelet activation, complement and coagulation cascades, and hematopoietic cell lineage. Besides, 4 candidate genes (ELOVL7, F2RL3, GP9, and ITGA2B) were screened among the 6 MOHGs to construct a diagnostic model, showing good performance for distinguishing controls from patients with MS and OA. GSEA suggested that these diagnostic genes were closely associated with immune response, adipocytokine signaling, fatty acid metabolism, cell cycle, and platelet activation. CONCLUSION: Taken together, we identified 4 potential gene biomarkers for diagnosing MS and OA patients, providing a theoretical basis and reference for the diagnostics and treatment targets of MS and OA.

Roxadustat in treating anemia in dialysis patients (ROAD): protocol and rationale of a multicenter prospective observational cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Roxadustat has been shown effective in treating patients with anemia due to chronic kidney disease. However, its long-term effect on clinical outcomes and socioeconomic burden and safety remains unclear. METHODS/DESIGN: This is a multicenter, prospective, longitudinal observational cohort study assessing if Roxadustat improves prognosis in dialysis patients. Primary outcomes will be major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), defined as composites of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, cerebral infarction, hospitalization because of heart failure; all-cause mortality, and annual economic costs in two years. The data will be collected via Research electronic data capture (REDCap) based database as well as software-based dialysis registry of Sichuan province. The primary outcomes for the ROAD study participants will be compared with those in the dialysis registry cohort. Data at baseline and study follow up will also be compared to assess the association between Roxadustat and long-term clinical outcomes. DISCUSSION: The main objective of this study is to the assess long-term association of Roxadustat on MACE, all-cause mortality, socio-economic burden, safety in dialysis patients, which will provide guidance for designing further large randomized controlled trials to investigate this clinic question. STUDY REGISTRATION: The study has been registered in Chinese Clinical Trials Registry (ROAD, ROxadustat in treating Anemia in Dialysis patients, registration number ChiCTR1900025765) and provincial observational cohort database (Renal disEAse observational CoHort database, REACH, ChiCTR1900024926), registered 07 September 2019, http://www.chictr.org.cn .

Targeting autophagy is a promising therapeutic strategy to overcome chemoresistance and reduce metastasis in osteosarcoma.

Osteosarcoma (OS) is the most common primary bone malignancy, mainly affecting children and adolescents. Currently, surgical resection combined with adjuvant chemotherapy has been standardized for OS treatment. Despite great advances in chemotherapy for OS, its clinical prognosis remains far from satisfactory; this is due to chemoresistance, which has become a major obstacle to improving OS treatment. Autophagy, a catabolic process through which cells eliminate and recycle their own damaged proteins and organelles to provide energy, can be activated by chemotherapeutic drugs. Accumulating evidence has indicated that autophagy plays the dual role in the regulation of OS chemoresistance by either promoting drug resistance or increasing drug sensitivity. The aim of the present review was to demonstrate thatautophagy has both a cytoprotective and an autophagic cell death function in OS chemoresistance. In addition, methods to detect autophagy, autophagy inducers and inhibitors, as well as autophagy­mediated metastasis, immunotherapy and clinical prognosis are also discussed.

[Acupoints heat-sensitive moxibustion in the application of traditional Chinese surgery].

Under the guidance of meridian theory, the acupoints heat-sensitive moxibustion is a treatment method which applies moxa stick to perform mild moxibustion at heat-sensitive acupoints, which can arouse the meridian sensation transmission and promote the movement of meridian qi; consequently, the qi can be extended to the diseases. For its many advantages, such as no direct contact on skin, no injuries, no pains, fewer side effects, easy operating and moderate cost, the acupoints heat-sensitive moxibustion is widely accepted in dermatology, male urology disease, rectum and anus diseases and breast diseases. The application and research status of the acupoints heat-sensitive moxibustion in traditional Chinese surgery in recent years is reviewed, and several problems and suggestions in its clinical application and research are proposed, aiming to provide clinical basis for its further development and clinical application in traditional Chinese surgery.

Degradability, bioactivity, and osteogenesis of biocomposite scaffolds of lithium-containing mesoporous bioglass and mPEG-PLGA-b-PLL copolymer.

Biocomposite scaffolds of lithium (Li)-containing mesoporous bioglass and monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(D,L-lactide-co-glycolide)-poly(L-lysine) (mPEG-PLGA-b-PLL) copolymer were fabricated in this study. The results showed that the water absorption and degradability of Li-containing mesoporous bioglass/mPEG-PLGA-b-PLL composite (l-MBPC) scaffolds were obviously higher than Li-containing bioglass/mPEG-PLGA-b-PLL composite (l-BPC) scaffolds. Moreover, the apatite-formation ability of l-MBPC scaffolds was markedly enhanced as compared with l-BPC scaffolds, indicating that l-MBPC scaffolds containing mesoporous bioglass exhibited good bioactivity. The cell experimental results showed that cell attachment, proliferation, and alkaline phosphatase activity of MC3T3-E1 cells on l-MBPC scaffolds were remarkably improved as compared to l-BPC scaffolds. In animal experiments, the histological elevation results revealed that l-MBPC scaffolds significantly promoted new bone formation, indicating good osteogenesis. l-MBPC scaffolds with improved properties would be an excellent candidate for bone tissue repair.

Determination of select trace elements in hair of college students in Jinzhou, China.

Select trace elements (Fe, Cu, Zn, Al, K, Na, Ba, Sb, Pb, As) were determined by ICP-AES after nitric acid-perchloric acid wet digestion in samples of scalp hair of University students. Some metal-to-metal intercorrelations were found. The more often the hair was dyed and marcelled, the higher were the contents of iron, copper, potassium, sodium, barium, lead, and arsenic. Copper levels increased with the degree of myopia, while zinc, lead, aluminum, iron, and potassium decreased with the myopic degree. Copper, zinc, iron, and arsenic levels were lower in white hair, while sodium and lead were higher. The levels of the elements were generally higher in the hair samples of students who drink and smoke. The hair metal contents were found to be influenced by alcohol use and smoking. Hair element analyses thus could be used as noninvasive means of detecting unhealthy lifestyles in college students.

[Ten element contents and their distribution in fruits determinated by atomic absorption spectrometry].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the contents and distributions of the Zn, Cu, K, Ca, Mg, Mn, Pb, Cd, Cr and Se elements in the fruits. METHODS: The fruit samples were digested with wet method. Contents of zinc,copper, calcium,magnesium,potassium and manganese were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). Contents of lead, cadmium, chromium and selenium were determined by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). RESULTS: There existed differences for the element distribution in each part of the fruits. The contents of lead in the grapes, dried jujubes and papaya were close to the pollutant concentration limits, but their contents were lower than standard limits. The contents of chromium in the Guoguang apples, pears, dry jujubes and cherry tomatoes were higher than standard limits. Selenium was detected in the Guoguang apples, bananas, pears, dry jujubes, papaya and pomelo. The contents of copper in the grapes and dry jujubes exceeded standard limits. The contents of zinc were lower than standard limits. The calcium contents were the highest in the papaya. The contents of magnesium and manganese were the highest in the dry jujubes. The contents of potassium were higher in the dry jujubes, pomelo and cherry tomato. CONCLUSION: The highest levels of the elements were in the seeds,and the second levels were in the skin,the lowest levels were in the pulp. The element contents of the peel were higher than those the pulp.