Gene cloning, expression and performance validation of nitric oxide dismutase.

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a significant contributor to global warming and possesses an ozone-depleting impact nearly 298 times that of CO2. To reduce N2O emissions, the newly-discovered nod gene which can directly convert NO into N2 and O2 was successfully cloned from the anaerobic denitrification sludge. The recombinant plasmid containing the nod gene was built, and the expression of nod gene in Escherichia coli was determined, leading to the construction of recombinant engineering bacteria. Results showed that the recombinant engineering bacteria E. coli BL21 (DE3)-pET28a-nod could autonomously degrade NO, with a degradation rate of 72 % within 48 h, and could produce 2479.72 ppm of N2 and 75.12 mL of O2. The cumulative O2 production of the sludge sample and recombinant E. coli within 8 h was 1.75 mL and 8.45 mL, respectively. The cumulative O2 production of recombinant E. coli was at least 4.82 times higher than that of the sludge sample. The investigation proposed a new biodegradation pathway for nitrogen pollution.

Effect of butorphanol-soaked nasal packing after endoscopic nasal surgery: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to investigate the effect of butorphanol-soaked nasal packing on analgesia and sleep quality in patients undergoing bilateral endoscopic nasal surgery. METHODS: Sixty-six patients were enrolled and randomly allocated into three groups: group B1 (butorphanol 0.03mg/kg), group B2 (butorphanol 0.04mg/kg) and group N (control group). The primary outcome was postoperative pain scores evaluated by a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at 2h (T1), 8h (T2), 24h (T3) and 48h (T4) after surgery. Secondary outcome was postoperative sleep quality measured using Subjective Sleep Quality Value (SSQV). RESULTS: Postoperative VAS scores of butorphanol groups were significantly lower than the control group at T2, T3 and T4. VAS scores at each time point did not differ between groups B1 and B2. On the first and second nights after surgery, SSQV was higher in butorphanol groups than in the control group. There were no significant differences in SSQV1 and SSQV2 between group B1 and group B2. The incidence of respiratory depression, dizziness, agitation and rescue analgesic use did not show difference among three groups. CONCLUSIONS: Butorphanol-soaked nasal packing can reduce pain and improve sleep quality after bilateral endoscopic nasal surgery without increasing adverse effects. A concentration of 0.03mg/kg may be appropriate for clinical application. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 1B.

Effect of butorphanol-soaked nasal packing after endoscopic nasal surgery: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial

Abstract Objective This study was designed to investigate the effect of butorphanol-soaked nasal packing on analgesia and sleep quality in patients undergoing bilateral endoscopic nasal surgery. Methods Sixty-six patients were enrolled and randomly allocated into three groups: group B1 (butorphanol 0.03 mg/kg), group B2 (butorphanol 0.04 mg/kg) and group N (control group). The primary outcome was postoperative pain scores evaluated by a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at 2 h (T1), 8 h (T2), 24 h (T3) and 48 h (T4) after surgery. Secondary outcome was postoperative sleep quality measured using Subjective Sleep Quality Value (SSQV). Results Postoperative VAS scores of butorphanol groups were significantly lower than the control group at T2, T3 and T4. VAS scores at each time point did not differ between groups B1 and B2. On the first and second nights after surgery, SSQV was higher in butorphanol groups than in the control group. There were no significant differences in SSQV1 and SSQV2 between group B1 and group B2. The incidence of respiratory depression, dizziness, agitation and rescue analgesic use did not show difference among three groups. Conclusions Butorphanol-soaked nasal packing can reduce pain and improve sleep quality after bilateral endoscopic nasal surgery without increasing adverse effects. A concentration of 0.03 mg/kg may be appropriate for clinical application. Level of Evidence Level 1B.

Mechanisms of N, N-dimethylacetamide-facilitated n-hexane removal in a rotating drum biofilter packed with bamboo charcoal-polyurethane composite.

n-Hexane and N, N-dimethylacetamide (DMAC) are two major volatile organic compounds (VOCs) discharged from the pharmaceutical industry. To enhance DMAC-facilitated n-hexane removal, we investigated the simultaneous removal of multiple pollutants in a rotating drum biofilter packed with bamboo charcoal-polyurethane composite. After adding 800 mg·L-1 DMAC, the n-hexane removal efficiency increased from 59.4 % to 83.1 % under the optimized conditions. The maximum elimination capacity of 10.0 g·m-3·h-1n-hexane and 157 g·m-3·h-1 DMAC were obtained. The biomass of bamboo charcoal-polyurethane and the ratio of protein-to-polysaccharide in extracellular polymeric substances were significantly increased compared with the non-DMAC stage, which is attributed to increased carbon utilization. In addition, Na+ K+-ATPase was positively correlated with increasing electron transport system activity, which was 1.98 and 1.36 times greater. Hydrophilic DMAC improved the bioavailability of hydrophobic n-hexane and benefited bacterial metabolism. Co-degradation of n-hexane and DMAC system can be used for other volatile organic pollutants.

The other-race effect in facial expression processing: Behavioral and ERP evidence from a balanced cross-cultural study in women.

Although evidence for cultural variants in facial expression decoding is accumulating, the other-race effect in facial expression processing and its neural correlates are still unclear. We investigated this question with a fully balanced design, in which a group of East Asian and a group of European Caucasian women categorized pictures of sad, happy, angry, and neutral facial expressions posed by individuals of their own-race and the other-race. Results revealed a disadvantage in categorizing expressions of anger in other-race faces in both samples, and for sad expressions in the European sample only. Partially consistent, East Asian participants showed longer latency of the N170 component in the event-related potential (ERP) and European Caucasian participants showed larger N170 amplitudes to other-race faces. The late positive complex in the ERP was less distinguishable among other-race facial expressions. Therefore, the present study observed an other-race effect in early and late stages of face processing, reflecting less efficient structural encoding and less elaborate processing for other-race than own-race faces.

Mechanisms of flame retardant tris (2-ethylhexyl) phosphate biodegradation via novel bacterial strain Ochrobactrum tritici WX3-8.

Tris (2-ethylhexyl) phosphate (TEHP) is a common organophosphorus flame retardant analog with considerable ecological toxicity. Here, novel strain Ochrobactrum tritici WX3-8 capable of degrading TEHP as the sole C source was isolated. Our results show that the strain's TEHP degradation efficiency reached 75% after 104 h under optimal conditions, i.e., 30 °C, pH 7, bacterial inoculum 3%, and

Integrated mRNA and miRNA Expression Profile Analysis of Female and Male Gonads in Acrossocheilus fasciatus.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are regarded as key regulators in gonadal development and sex determination in diverse organisms. However, the functions of miRNAs in gonads of Acrossocheilus fasciatus, an economically important freshwater species in the south of China, are still unclear. Here, high-throughput sequencing was performed to investigate the mRNA and miRNAs on gonads of A. fasciatus. In total, 49,447 unigenes were obtained, including 11,635 differentially expressed genes (DEGs), among which 4147 upregulated genes and 7488 downregulated genes in the testis compared to the ovary, while 300 (237 known, and 63 novel) miRNAs with 36 differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) were identified, from which 17 upregulated and 19 downregulated DEMs. GO and KEGG enrichment analysis were performed to analyze the potential biological functions of DEGs and DEMs. Using qRT-PCR, 9 sex-related genes and 9 miRNAs were selected to verify the sequencing data. By dual-luciferase reporter assay, miR-22a-5p and miR-22b-5p interaction with piwil1, and miR-10d-5p interaction with piwil2 were identified. These findings could provide a reference for miRNA-regulated sex control of A. fasciatus and may reveal new insights into aquaculture and breeding concepts.

Co-culturing fungus Penicillium citrinum and strain Citrobacter freundii improved nitrate removal and carbon utilization by promoting glyceride metabolism.

Exploring the interaction between denitrifying microbial species is significant for improving denitrification performance. In this study, the effects of co-culturing fungus Penicillium citrinum and strain Citrobacter freundii on denitrification were investigated. Results showed that the maximum nitrate removal and carbon utilization in co-culture were 68.0 and 14.1 mg·L-1·d-1, respectively. The total adenosine triphosphatase activity was increased to 9.87 U‧mg-1 protein in co-culture, and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide production was 1.7-2.3 times that of monoculture, attributing to increased carbon utilization. Further metabolomics and membrane permeability assay revealed that co-culture increased the metabolism of glycerides, thereby enhancing the membrane permeability of strain Citrobacter freundii and promoting the transmembrane transport of nitrate and glucose, which boosted nitrate reductase activity and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide production in turn. In summary, co-culturing promoted carbon utilization and enhanced substrate removal efficiency through the metabolism of glycerides, which provided a strategy to enhance denitrification performance in wastewater treatment.

Acupuncture for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review of Randomized Clinical Trials with Meta-Analyses and Trial Sequential Analyses.

Background: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) can cause chronic pain and seriously affect the quality of patient lives. The continued emergence of high-quality RCTS requires us to update the quality of evidence. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture for KOA patients and calculate the required information size (RIS) to determine whether further clinical studies are required. Methods: We searched PubMed, Embase, WOS, CBM, CNKI, VIP, WHO ICTRP, ChiCTR, and Grey literature to collect randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of acupuncture for KOA from inception to December 2021. A meta-analysis was performed according to the Cochrane systematic review method by using Review Manager 5.4 and TSA 0.9.5.10 beta, and GRADE was used to evaluate the quality of the evidence. Trial sequential analysis was used to control random errors and calculate the required information size. Results: Eleven RCTs with 2484 patients were included in our meta-analysis, meeting the inclusion criteria for the meta-analysis. The meta-analysis indicated that acupuncture had beneficial effect on knee osteoarthritis in reducing pain [n = 2387; SMD = -0.12, 95% CI (-0.20, -0.04); I 2 = 0%] and improved patients function activities [n = 2408; MD = -1.25, 95% CI (-1.97, -0.53); I 2 = 0%], but true acupuncture showed no significant effect in relieve patient's stiffness [n = 1337; MD = -0.07, 95% CI (-0.30, 0.15); I 2 = 0%]. We pooled the studies which found no significant difference in improving the quality life of mental [n = 1462; SMD = 0.02, 95% CI (-0.23, 0.27); I 2 = 78%] and patients physical health (SF-36 or SF-12) [n = 1745; SMD = 1.01, 95% CI (-0.08, 2.11); I 2 = 0%] compared with sham acupuncture. The pain and function TSA graphs indicated that cumulative Z-curves intersected with the traditional level of statistical favoring acupuncture, and more RCTs will required in the future studies. Conclusion: Acupuncture has beneficial effect on pain relief and improves function activities, and this treatment can be recommended as a beneficial alternative therapy in patients with KOA, particularly for chronic patients and those currently undergoing long-term pain and help them increasing quality of life. But it should be further verified through more RCTs in function. Available studies suggested that acupuncture was superior to sham acupuncture in reduce pain and function as verified by TSA.

Bamboo charcoal powder-based polyurethane as packing material in biotrickling filter for simultaneous removal of n-hexane and dichloromethane.

Bamboo charcoal powder-based polyurethane (BC-PU) was firstly applied in biotrickling filter to treat n-hexane and dichloromethane (DCM) simultaneously. Maximum elimination capacity of 12.68 g m-3h-1 n-hexane was achieved and exceed 30.28 g m-3h-1 DCM could be degraded. BTF respond quickly to the mixed shock loadings, and recovered to 76% and 100% respectively in less than 1 h. By increasing inlet loading (IL) of DCM from 6.20 g m-3h-1 to 28.36 g m-3h-1, the removal efficiency of n-hexane decreased from 73.4% to 55.9% corresponding to the IL of 19.96 g m-3h-1. N-hexane degradation was inhibited by high IL of DCM due to enzymes competition for active sites. The growth of key microorganisms Mycobacterium sp., Hyphomicrobium sp. was stimulated and colonized. BC-PU is an innovative and applicable bio-based material in the process of biological purification, which could be widely applied to treat hydrophobic pollutants in the pharmaceutical industry.

Bibliometric Analysis of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Studies on Acupuncture Analgesia Over the Past 20 Years.

BACKGROUND: Researches on the central mechanisms of acupuncture analgesia have been widely conducted worldwide. However, there is no bibliometric analysis of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies on acupuncture analgesia. This study visualized the current status, hot spots and frontiers of fMRI studies on acupuncture analgesia in the past 20 years to provide a theoretical basis for its clinical application. METHODS: All publications were obtained from Science Citation Index-Expanded (SCI-E) of Web of Science (WOS). We used CiteSpace to analyze publications, journals, cited journals, authors, cited authors, institutions, countries, references, and keywords. We also analyzed collaborative network maps and co-occurrence network maps. RESULTS: We retrieved a total of 797 articles. Regarding the volume of publications, the total number of annual publications showed a fluctuating but overall increasing trend. Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine (21 articles) was the most productive journal, and Pain (225 articles) was the most cited journal. The most productive author was Qin W (16 articles), and the most co-cited author was Hui KKS (111). The most prolific institution and country were Massachusetts General Hospital (34 articles) and USA (212 articles). "Pain" was the top-ranked for keyword frequency and centrality. "Functional connectivity" was the frontier hotspot for 2018-2021. CONCLUSION: First, fMRI researches on acupuncture analgesia involved several countries (regions) and institutions, mainly located in the USA, China and Korea, and most of them were universities. In addition, the USA was a major contributor in this field. Second, in terms of disciplinary distribution, the literatures were mainly from clinical neurology, neuroscience, and radiology nuclear medicine medical imaging. Third, the keyword co-occurrence analysis showed that the hot keywords included pain, fMRI, and lower back pain. Fourth, through keyword clustering analysis, the hot disease was found to be lower back pain, and the hot contents were acupuncture specificity and frequency specificity. Fifth, a timeline analysis of the references identified that chronic low back pain and specificity will remain a hot topic for future research.

Dexmedetomidine-soaked nasal packing can reduce pain and improve sleep quality after nasal endoscopic surgery: a double-blind, randomized, controlled clinical trial.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Bilateral endoscopic nasal surgery is usually associated with pain and sleep disturbance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of dexmedetomidine-soaked nasal packing on analgesia and improvement of sleep quality in patients undergoing this surgery. METHOD: Eighty patients were enrolled and randomly allocated into 4 groups. At the end of surgery, dexmedetomidine-soaked nasal packings were applied to three groups with a dosage of 1 µg kg-1 (D1), 2µg kg-1 (D2), 4 µg kg-1 (D4) and normal saline-soaked nasal packing (NS) was applied to a fourth group. The primary outcome was postoperative pain scores using a visual analog scale (VAS) recorded at six time points: before the surgery (T1); 2 h (T2), 8 h (T3), 24 h (T4), 48 h (T5) after surgery; and at the moment of nasal packing removal (T6). Secondary outcomes were postoperative sleep status evaluated by the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and subjective sleep quality value (SSQV). Factors affecting sleep, hemodynamic changes, and adverse events were also recorded. RESULTS: Compared with the NS group, dexmedetomidine-soaked nasal packing significantly relieved postoperative pain and improved sleep quality. The effect was similar between D2 and D4, which was greater than in D1. However, D2 was associated with fewer adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Dexmedetomidine-soaked nasal packing not only offers effective analgesia but also improves postoperative sleep quality in patients undergoing bilateral endoscopic nasal surgery. Taking effect and adverse events into consideration, a dosage of 2µg kg-1 may be optimal. TRIAL REGISTRATION: www.chictr.org.cn/index.aspx (ChiCTR1900025692) Retrospectively registered 5 September 2019.

The effect of state self-control on the intertemporal decisions made by individuals with high and low trait self-control.

The present study aimed to explore how state self-control influences the intertemporal decisions made by individuals with high and low trait self-control. State self-control, represented by the degree of depletion, was manipulated by conducting Stroop tasks with different levels of difficulty, and the intertemporal decision task was used as a self-control task. Compared with participants with high trait self-control, the preferences of participants with low trait self-control for immediate rewards were more vulnerable to the difficulty of depletion tasks. Throughout the experimental stages, the heart rate variability (HRV) of participants with high trait self-control was significantly higher than that of participants with low trait self-control, indicating that individuals with high trait self-control may have stronger and more stable self-control abilities.