Biosorption and bioreduction of aqueous chromium (VI) by different Spirulina strains.

Spirulina has emerged as a promising microorganism for the treatment of industrial heavy metal ions in wastewater due to their simplicity of cultivation and harvesting, rich functional binding groups, and high bioreductive activity during the uptake process. While the capacities of biosorption and bioreduction for heavy metal ions differ significantly among various algal strains. Therefore, the physiological characteristics were investigated to identify the different Spirulina strains, and the chromium (VI) adsorption capacities of the algal strains were also evaluated. In this study, it was found that algal strains YCX2643 and CLQ1848 performed higher removal efficiency (86.5% and 83.7%) than the other four Spirulina strains (59.4%, 56.3%, 65.6%, and 66.5%, respectively). Moreover, the mechanisms of chromium (VI) ions binding and biotransformation in the Spirulina cell were scrutinized by FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and it indicated that the varieties of cellular components involved in high binding affinity may cause the higher biosorption and bioreduction of aqueous chromium (VI) in algal strains YCX2643 and CLQ1848, which could be used as promising biosorbents in the removing heavy metal pollutants from wastewaters.

Silencing of miR-324-5p alleviates rat spinal cord injury by Sirt1.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are implicated in the pathogenesis of spinal cord injury (SCI) as primary regulators. Previous studies have reported that miR-324-5p is involved in the modulation of neural injury, while the underlying mechanisms of miR-324-5p in SCI remain unclear. In a SCI rat model, miR-324-5p was significantly upregulated in the spinal cord tissues after SCI. Downregulation of miR-324-5p via injection of adeno-associated viruses (AAV) expressing miR-324-5p inhibitor relieved animal motor deficits and pathological changes in the tissues. Furthermore, downregulation of miR-324-5p significantly altered the expression of genes regulating neural growth, apoptosis, and the inflammatory and antioxidant response, which are implicated in SCI pathogenesis. In a H2O2-induced cell injury model, miR-324-5p silencing rescued the elevated apoptosis of PC12 cells. Finally, miR-324-5p directly targeted the 3'-untranslated region of NAD-dependent protein deacetylase sirtuin-1 (Sirt1) and negatively regulated the levels of Sirt1, an anti-inflammatory protein involved in SCI. Silencing of Sirt1 aggravated SCI and rescued the effects of miR-324-5p downregulation in rats. Overall, our findings indicated that silencing of miR-324-5p alleviates the loss of animal locomotion and concurrently mediates several degenerative processes relevant to the pathogenesis of SCI by Sirt1, which may provide clues for SCI treatment.

Epidemiology Characteristics of Human Coxsackievirus A16 and Enterovirus 71 Circulating in Linyi, China, from 2009 to 2017.

In China, a rapid expansion of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) outbreaks has occurred since 2004, and HFMD has become an important issue in China. There are more than 20 types of enterovirus causing HFMD, of which coxsackievirus A16 (CA16) and enterovirus 71 (EV71) are the most common. This study aimed to analyze the epidemiological characteristics of HFMD caused by EV71 and CA16 in Linyi, Shandong province, China, from 2009 to 2017. The stool specimens and throat samples of 5,324 patients with HFMD were obtained for nucleic acid detection of enterovirus. A total of 4,040 HFMD cases were caused by viral pathogens. Of these, 1,706 cases were positive for EV71 and 1,266 were positive for CA16. These 2 virus strains appeared alternately in Linyi city. The incidence of EV71-positive and CA16-positive cases was highest in children aged 0-5 years, with male patients being predominant. This outbreak of HMFD caused by EV71 and CA16 mainly occurred between April and July and appeared alternately between the years 2011 and 2017. These results demonstrated that the epidemiological analysis of EV71 and CA16 can provide a scientific basis for the prevention and treatment of the disease.