New directions on membranes for removal and degradation of emerging pollutants in aqueous systems.

Emerging pollutants (EPs) refer to a group of non-regulated chemical or biological substances that have been recently introduced or detected in the environment. These pollutants tend to exhibit resistance to conventional treatment methods and can persist in the environment for prolonged periods, posing potential adverse effects on ecosystems and human health. As we enter a new era of managing these pollutants, membrane-based technologies hold significant promise in mitigating impact of EPs on the environment and safeguarding human health due to their high selectivity, efficiency, cost-effectiveness and capability for simultaneous separation and degradation. Moreover, these technologies continue to evolve rapidly with the development of new membrane materials and functionalities, advanced treatment strategies, and analyses for effectively treating EPs of more recent concerns. The objective of this review is to present the latest directions and advancements in membrane-based technologies for addressing EPs. By highlighting the progress in this field, we aim to share valuable perspectives with researchers and contribute to the development of future directions in sustainable treatments for EPs.

Mxenes for membrane separation: from fabrication strategies to advanced applications.

Transition metal carbides/nitrides/carbonitrides, commonly referred to as MXenes, have gained widespread attention since their discovery in 2011 as a promising family of two-dimensional (2D) materials. Their impressive chemical, electrical, thermal, mechanical, and biological properties have fueled a surge in research focused on the synthesis and application of MXenes in various fields, including membrane-based separation. By engineering the materials and membrane structures, MXene-based membranes have demonstrated remarkable separation performance and added functionalities, such as antifouling and photocatalytic properties. In this review, we aim to have a timely and critical review of research on their fabrication strategy and performance in advanced molecular separation and ion exchange, beginning with a brief introduction of the preparation and physicochemical properties of MXenes. Finally, outlooks and future works are outlined with the aims to provide valuable insights and guidance for advancing membranes' applications in different separation domains.

Two QTL regions for spike length showing pleiotropic effects on Fusarium head blight resistance and thousand-grain weight in bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.).

Spike length (SL) plays an important role in the yield improvement of wheat and is significantly associated with other traits. Here, we used a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population derived from a cross between Yangmai 12 (YM12) and Yanzhan 1 (YZ1) to construct a genetic linkage map and identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) for SL. A total of 5 QTL were identified for SL, among which QSl.yaas-3A and QSl.yaas-5B are two novel QTL for SL. The YZ1 alleles at QSl.yaas-2D and QSl.yaas-5A, and the YM12 alleles at QSl.yaas-2A, QSl.yaas-3A, and QSl.yaas-5B conferred increasing SL effects. Two major QTL QSl.yaas-5A and QSl.yaas-5B explained 9.11-15.85% and 9.01-12.85% of the phenotypic variations, respectively. Moreover, the positive alleles of QSl.yaas-5A and QSl.yaas-5B could significantly increase Fusarium head blight (FHB) resistance (soil surface inoculation and spray inoculation were used) and thousand-grain weight (TGW) in the RIL population. Kompetitive allele-specific PCR (KASP) markers for QSl.yaas-5A and QSl.yaas-5B were developed and validated in an additional panel of 180 wheat cultivars/lines. The cultivars/lines harboring both the positive alleles of QSl.yaas-5A and QSl.yaas-5B accounted for only 28.33% of the validation populations and had the longest SL, best FHB resistance (using spray inoculation), and highest TGW. A total of 358 and 200 high-confidence annotated genes in QSl.yaas-5A and QSl.yaas-5B were identified, respectively. Some of the genes in these two regions were involved in cell development, disease resistance, and so on. The results of this study will provide a basis for directional breeding of longer SL, higher TGW, and better FHB resistance varieties and a solid foundation for fine-mapping QSl.yaas-5A and QSl.yaas-5B in future. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11032-023-01427-8.

Carbohydrate metabolism and cytology of S-type cytoplasmic male sterility in wheat.

Introduction: Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) is an important tool for hybrid heterosis utilization. However, the underlying mechanisms still need to be discovered. An adequate supply of nutrients is necessary for anther development; pollen abortion would occur if the metabolism of carbohydrates were hampered. Methods: In order to better understand the relationship between carbohydrate metabolism disorder and pollen abortion in S-CMS wheat, the submicroscopic structure of wheat anthers was observed using light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy; chloroplast proteome changes were explored by comparative proteomic analysis; sugar measuring and enzyme assays were performed; and the expression patterns of carbohydrate metabolism-related genes were studied using quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) method. Results: These results indicated that the anther and microspore in S-CMS wheat underwent serious structural damage, including premature tapetum degeneration, nutritional shortage, pollen wall defects, and pollen grain malformations. Furthermore, the number of chloroplasts in the anthers of S-CMS lines decreased significantly, causing abnormal carbohydrate metabolism, and disintegration of osmiophilic granules and thylakoids. Meanwhile, some proteins participating in the Calvin cycle and carbohydrate metabolism were abnormally expressed in the chloroplasts of the S-CMS lines, which might lead to chloroplast dysfunction. Additionally, several key enzymes and genes related to carbohydrate metabolism were significantly inhibited in S-CMS. Discussion: Based on these results, we proposed a carbohydrate metabolism pathway for anther abortion in S-type cytoplasmic male sterility, which would encourage further exploration of the pollen abortion mechanisms for CMS wheat.

Quantifying interfacial interactions for improved membrane antifouling: A novel approach using triangulation and surface element integration method.

To gain a thorough understanding of interfacial behaviors such as adhesion and flocculation controlling membrane fouling, it is necessary to simulate the actual membrane surface morphology and quantify interfacial interactions. In this work, a new method integrating the rough membrane morphology reconstruction technology (atomic force microscopy (AFM) combining with triangulation technique), the surface element integration (SEI) method, the extended Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (XDLVO) theory, the compound Simpson's approach, and the computer programming was proposed. This new method can exactly mimic the real membrane surface in terms of roughness and shape, breaking the limitation of previous fractal theory and Gaussian method where the simulated membrane surface is only statistically similar to the real rough surface, thus achieving a precise description of the interfacial interactions between sludge foulants and the real membrane surface. This method was then applied to assess the antifouling propensity of a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane modified with Ni-ZnO particles (NZPs). The simulated results showed that the interfacial interactions between sludge foulants in a membrane bioreactor (MBR) and the modified PVDF-NZPs membrane transformed from an attractive force to a repulsive force. The phenomenon confirmed the significant antifouling propensity of the PVDF-NZPs membrane, which is highly consistent with the experimental findings and the interfacial interactions described in previous literature, suggesting the high feasibility and reliability of the proposed method. Meanwhile, the original programming code of the quantification was also developed, which further facilitates the widespread use of this method and enhances the value of this work.

Case report: Progressive skin rash and lymphadenopathy associated with lamotrigine-valproic acid combination in a bipolar adolescent.

Background: Lamotrigine may cause severe skin reactions. There is a known interaction between lamotrigine and valproic acid with an increase in lamotrigine levels and lamotrigine toxicity risk. Few cases of severe rash and systemic reactions in bipolar patients using lamotrigine and valproate have been reported. Here, we report a rare case of severe skin rash and lymphadenopathy associated with lamotrigine-valproic acid combination. Case presentation: An 18-year-old female adolescent with bipolar disorder type I was treated with lamotrigine, magnesium valproate, and perospirone for 12 days. After the last dose of lamotrigine, she abruptly developed generalized rash and swollen lymph nodes, which continued to progress over the next 3 days. This finally subsided after stopping valproate and with glucocorticoid treatment. Conclusion: This case suggests that lamotrigine-valproic acid combination may cause not only rash but also lymphadenopathy. Even though the aforementioned reactions appear after the last dose of lamotrigine, it cannot be ruled out as suspicious. We recommend caution during titration of lamotrigine and valproate and early withdrawal of both when signs of hypersensitivity appear.

Integrative analysis of genomic and metabolomic data reveals key metabolic pathways involved in lipid and carotenoid biosynthesis in oleaginous red yeast Rhodosporidiobolus odoratus XQR.

Rhodosporidiobolus odoratus, one of the oleaginous red yeasts, is gaining biotechnological importance for their ability to produce microbial lipids and carotenoids. However, to date, the genomic resource underling lipid and carotenoid biosynthesis in R. odoratus has not been reported. Here, we reported the first genome assembly of R. odoratus using a combination of PacBio and Illumina techniques. The final genome assembly is 23.74 Mb in size, containing 52 scaffolds with a N50 length of 1200,460 bp and a GC content of 56.90%. Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologs (BUSCO) assessment showed that our assembly contains 94.23% of Basidiomycota universal single-copy orthologs. The genome was predicted to contain 4986 protein-coding genes, 4967 of which were functionally annotated. Metabolomic profiling identified 574 lipids, 3 carotenoids, and 208 volatile organic compounds synthesized by R. odoratus. Integrative analysis of genomics and metabolomics provides insights into the biosynthesis of lipid, carotenoid, and other bioactive compounds in R. odoratus. Collectively, the results presented herein greatly enhance our understanding of R. odoratus in lipids and carotenoids biosynthesis, and thus further accelerate its fundamental molecular investigations and biotechnological applications.

Aldosterone Blockade in Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

BACKGROUND: A comprehensive evaluation of the benefits of mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists (MRA) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients is lacking. OBJECTIVE: To summarize the evidence on the efficacy and safety of MRA in patients admitted for AMI. METHODS: Articles were identified through PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Ovid (Medline1946-2021), and ClinicalTrials.gov databases from their inception to December 31, 2020. RESULTS: 15 articles with a total of 11,861 patients were included. MRA reduced the risk of all-cause mortality by 16% (relative ratio (RR): 0.84; 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.76, 0.94); P = 0.002) and the incidence of cardiovascular adverse events by 12% (RR: 0.88, 95% CI (0.83, 0.93), P < 0.00001) in post-AMI patients, and further analysis demonstrated that early administration of MRA within 7 days after AMI resulted in a greater reduction in all-cause mortality (RR: 0.72, 95% CI (0.61, 0.85), P < 0.0001). Subgroup analyses showed that post-STEMI patients without left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) treated with MRA had a 36% reduction in all-cause mortality (RR: 0.64, 95% CI (0.46, 0.89), P = 0.007) and a 22% reduction in cardiovascular adverse events (RR: 0.78, 95% CI (0.67, 0.91), P = 0.002). Meanwhile, post-STEMI patients without LVSD treated with MRA get significant improvements in left ventricular ejection fraction (mean difference (MD): 2.69, 95% CI (2.44, 2.93), P < 0.00001), left ventricular end-systolic index (MD: -4.52 ml/m2, 95% CI (-8.21, -0.83), P = 0.02), and left ventricular end-diastolic diameter (MD: -0.11 cm, 95% CI (-0.22, 0.00), P = 0.05). The corresponding RR were 1.72 (95% CI (1.43, 2.07), P < 0.00001) for considered common adverse events (hyperkalemia, gynecomastia, and renal dysfunction). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that MRA treatment reduces all-cause mortality and cardiovascular adverse events in post-AMI patients, which is more significant in patients after STEMI without LVSD. In addition, MRA treatment may exert beneficial effects on the reversal of cardiac remodeling in patients after STEMI without LVSD.

Nanovoid-Enhanced Thin-Film Composite Reverse Osmosis Membranes Using ZIF-67 Nanoparticles as a Sacrificial Template.

In this work, nanovoid-enhanced thin-film composite (TFC) membranes have been successfully fabricated using ZIF-67 nanoparticles as the sacrificial template. By incorporating different amounts of ZIF-67 during interfacial polymerization, the resultant TFC membranes can have different degrees of nanovoids after self-degradation of ZIF-67 in water, consequently influencing their physiochemical properties and separation performance. Nanovoid structures endow the membranes with additional passages for water molecules. Thus, all the newly developed TFC membranes exhibit better separation performance for brackish water reverse osmosis (BWRO) desalination than the pristine TFC membrane. The membrane made from 0.1 wt % ZIF-67 shows a water permeance of 2.94 LMH bar-1 and a salt rejection of 99.28% when being tested under BWRO at 20 bar. This water permeance is 53% higher than that of the pristine TFC membrane with the salt rejection well maintained.

Metabolomics integrated with transcriptomics: assessing the central metabolism of marine red yeast Sporobolomyces pararoseus under salinity stress.

Salinity stress is one of the most serious environmental issues in agricultural regions worldwide. Excess salinity inhibits root growth of various crops, and results in reductions of yield. It is of crucial to understand the molecular mechanisms mediating salinity stress responses for enhancing crops' salt tolerance. Marine red yeast Sporobolomyces pararoseus should have evolved some unique salt-tolerant mechanism, because they long-term live in high-salt ecosystems. However, little research has conducted so far by considering S. pararoseus as model microorganisms to study salt-tolerant mechanisms. Here, we successfully integrated metabolomics with transcriptomic profiles of S. pararoseus in response to salinity stress. Screening of metabolite features with untargeted metabolic profiling, we characterized 4862 compounds from the LC-MS/MS-based datasets. The integrated results showed that amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, and lipid metabolism is significantly enriched in response to salt stress. Co-expression network analysis showed that 28 genes and 8 metabolites play an important role in the response of S. pararoseus, which provides valuable clues for subsequent validation. Together, the results provide valuable information for assessing the central metabolism of mediating salt responses in S. pararoseus and offer inventories of target genes for salt tolerance improvement via genetic engineering.

Genomics and lipidomics analysis of the biotechnologically important oleaginous red yeast Rhodotorula glutinis ZHK provides new insights into its lipid and carotenoid metabolism.

BACKGROUND: Rhodotorula glutinis is recognized as a biotechnologically important oleaginous red yeast, which synthesizes numerous meritorious compounds with wide industrial usages. One of the most notable properties of R. glutinis is the formation of intracellular lipid droplets full of carotenoids. However, the basic genomic features that underlie the biosynthesis of these valuable compounds in R. glutinis have not been fully documented. To reveal the biotechnological potential of R. glutinis, the genomics and lipidomics analysis was performed through the Next-Generation Sequencing and HPLC-MS-based metabolomics technologies. RESULTS: Here, we firstly assemble the genome of R. glutinis ZHK into 21.8 Mb, containing 30 scaffolds and 6774 predicted genes with a N50 length of 14, 66,672 bp and GC content of 67.8%. Genome completeness assessment (BUSCO alignment: 95.3%) indicated the genome assembly with a high-quality features. According to the functional annotation of the genome, we predicted several key genes involved in lipids and carotenoids metabolism as well as certain industrial enzymes biosynthesis. Comparative genomics results suggested that most of orthologous genes have underwent the strong purifying selection within the five Rhodotorula species, especially genes responsible for carotenoids biosynthesis. Furthermore, a total of 982 lipids were identified using the lipidomics approaches, mainly including triacylglycerols, diacylglyceryltrimethylhomo-ser and phosphatidylethanolamine. CONCLUSION: Using whole genome shotgun sequencing, we comprehensively analyzed the genome of R. glutinis and predicted several key genes involved in lipids and carotenoids metabolism. By performing comparative genomic analysis, we show that most of the ortholog genes have undergone strong purifying selection within the five Rhodotorula species. Furthermore, we identified 982 lipid species using lipidomic approaches. These results provided valuable resources to further advance biotechnological applications of R .glutinis.

Whole genome sequencing and comparative genomic analysis of oleaginous red yeast Sporobolomyces pararoseus NGR identifies candidate genes for biotechnological potential and ballistospores-shooting.

BACKGROUND: Sporobolomyces pararoseus is regarded as an oleaginous red yeast, which synthesizes numerous valuable compounds with wide industrial usages. This species hold biotechnological interests in biodiesel, food and cosmetics industries. Moreover, the ballistospores-shooting promotes the colonizing of S. pararoseus in most terrestrial and marine ecosystems. However, very little is known about the basic genomic features of S. pararoseus. To assess the biotechnological potential and ballistospores-shooting mechanism of S. pararoseus on genome-scale, the whole genome sequencing was performed by next-generation sequencing technology. RESULTS: Here, we used Illumina Hiseq platform to firstly assemble S. pararoseus genome into 20.9 Mb containing 54 scaffolds and 5963 predicted genes with a N50 length of 2,038,020 bp and GC content of 47.59%. Genome completeness (BUSCO alignment: 95.4%) and RNA-seq analysis (expressed genes: 98.68%) indicated the high-quality features of the current genome. Through the annotation information of the genome, we screened many key genes involved in carotenoids, lipids, carbohydrate metabolism and signal transduction pathways. A phylogenetic assessment suggested that the evolutionary trajectory of the order Sporidiobolales species was evolved from genus Sporobolomyces to Rhodotorula through the mediator Rhodosporidiobolus. Compared to the lacking ballistospores Rhodotorula toruloides and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we found genes enriched for spore germination and sugar metabolism. These genes might be responsible for the ballistospores-shooting in S. pararoseus NGR. CONCLUSION: These results greatly advance our understanding of S. pararoseus NGR in biotechnological potential and ballistospores-shooting, which help further research of genetic manipulation, metabolic engineering as well as its evolutionary direction.

Emerging thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes for reverse osmosis: A review.

Thin-film composite (TFC) membranes are the heart of reverse osmosis (RO) processes for desalination and water reuse. In recent years, nanomaterials with high permeability, selectivity and chemical resistance, and low fouling tendency have begun to emerge and be applied in many other fields. This has stimulated the research on novel RO membranes consisting of nanomaterials (non-porous and porous) in their selective layers. Encouraging results have been demonstrated. Herein, the state-of-the-art developments of polyamide thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) membranes for RO processes are summarized since the concept of TFN was introduced in 2007. While it is obvious that nanomaterials could impart exclusive properties, it should also be noted that significant challenges still exist for research and commercialization of TFN membranes, such as selection of proper nanomaterials, prevention of leaching of nanoparticles, and performance and cost analysis before large-scale RO membrane manufacturing. Future research directions are outlined to offer insights for the fabrication of much advanced TFN membranes with optimal interface morphology and separation performance.

Thin film nanocomposite hollow fiber membranes comprising Na+-functionalized carbon quantum dots for brackish water desalination.

We have incorporated Na+-functionalized carbon quantum dots (Na-CQDs) into the polyamide layer via interfacial polymerization reaction and developed novel thin film nanocomposite (TFN) hollow fiber membranes for brackish water desalination. Comparing with the conventional thin film composite (TFC) membranes, the TFN membranes comprising Na-CQDs have a larger effective surface area, thinner polyamide layer and more hydrophilic oxygen-containing groups in the polyamide layer. Besides, the interstitial space among the polyamide chains becomes larger due to the presence of Na-CQDs. As a result, the incorporation of 1 wt% Na-CQDs into the polyamide layer could improve the pure water permeability (PWP) of the membranes from 1.74 LMH/bar to 2.56 LMH/bar by 47.1% without compromising their NaCl rejection of 97.7%. Interestingly, stabilization of the TFN hollow fiber membranes containing 1 wt% Na-CQDs at 23 bar could further promote the PWP to 4.27 LMH/bar and the salt rejection to 98.6% under the same testing conditions due to the deformation of the membranes under a high hydraulic pressure. When using a 2000 ppm NaCl aqueous solution as the feed, the optimal water flux and rejection of the newly developed TFN membranes at 15 bar are 57.65 ±â€¯3.26 LMH and 98.6% ±â€¯0.35% respectively. The Na-CQDs incorporated TFN hollow fiber membranes show promising applications in the field of brackish water desalination.

Applications of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) in membrane technologies: A review.

Carbon quantum dots (CQDs), which are a fascinating class of nanostructured carbons, have recently attracted extensive attention in the field of membrane technologies for their applications in separation processes. This is because they possess two unique advantages. Their productions are facile and inexpensive, while their physicochemical properties such as ultra-small sizes, good biocompatibility, high chemical inertness, tunable hydrophilicity, rich surface functional groups and antifouling characteristics are highly desirable. Leveraging on these, researchers have explored their utilizations in various membrane designs for reverse osmosis (RO), ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration (NF), forward osmosis (FO), pressure retarded osmosis (PRO), membrane distillation (MD), and organic solvent nanofiltration (OSN) processes. In particular, CQDs have especially stimulated exploration in the field of water treatment by membrane technologies since biocompatibility of membrane materials is of utmost importance to ensure safety of drinking water. In addition, CQDs are in a favorable position for achieving unprecedented performance of membrane separation processes in water treatment, in the light of substantial efficiency enhancement and antifouling propensity as discovered in recent studies. In this article, we will review the progress in the development of CQD incorporated membranes with discussions on their challenges and perspectives.

Carbon Quantum Dots Grafted Antifouling Membranes for Osmotic Power Generation via Pressure-Retarded Osmosis Process.

Osmotic power generated by pressure-retarded osmosis (PRO) has attracted global attention as a clean, abundant and renewable energy resource. However, the substrates of PRO membranes are particularly prone to fouling because of their direct contact with various foulants in raw water. This leads to a significant decline in power density and impedes the commercialization of PRO technology. In this work, a facile surface modification method has been developed to obtain a new type of nanoparticle functionalized antifouling PRO membranes. Carbon quantum dots (CQDs), with an average size around 3.2 nm, are fabricated from citric acid via a simple method. Subsequently, they are immobilized onto the polydopamine (PDA) layer grafted on the substrate surface of poly(ether sulfone) (PES) membranes via covalent bonding. The bacteria diffusion tests show that the CQD modified PRO membranes possess much enhanced antibacterial activity and antibiofouling propensity. The continuous PRO operations at 15 bar also confirm that the CQD modified membranes exhibit a much higher power density (11.0 vs 8.8 W/m2) and water recovery after backwash (94 vs 89%) than the unmodified ones. This study may open up a new avenue in the fabrication of nanostructure functionalized polymeric membranes for wastewater treatment and osmotic power generation.