Evaluation of quercetin in alleviating the negative effects of high soybean meal diet on spotted sea bass Lateolabrax maculatus.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of quercetin (QUE) on alleviating the negative effects of high soybean meal diet for spotted sea bass Lateolabrax maculatus. A healthy control group fed a 44% fishmeal diet was used, while the induction control group replaced 50% fishmeal with soybean meal. Subsequently, QUE was added at concentrations of 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, and 1.00 g/kg in the experimental groups. A total of 540 tailed spotted sea bass were randomly divided into 6 groups and fed the corresponding diet for 56 days. The results showed that 40% soybean meal significantly decreased the growth performance and immunity, increased the intestinal mucosal permeability, and caused damage to the intestinal tissue morphology; moreover, there were alterations observed in the composition of the intestinal microbiota, accompanied by detectable levels of saponins in the metabolites. However, the addition of QUE did not yield significant changes in growth performance; instead, it notably reduced the permeability of the intestinal mucosa, improved the body's immunity and the structural integrity of the intestinal tissue, increased the proportion of Proteobacteria, and enhanced the richness and diversity of intestinal microorganisms to a certain extent. In addition, QUE up-regulate the metabolism of amino acids and their derivatives and energy-related metabolites such as uridine and guanosine; furthermore, it appears to regulate transporters through the ABC transporters pathway to promote the absorption and utilization of QUE by enterocytes.

Effects of Mulberry Leaf Extract on the Liver Function of Juvenile Spotted Sea Bass (Lateolabrax maculatus).

In order to explore the effect of mulberry leaf extract (ELM) on the liver function of spotted sea bass, 360 fish with healthy constitution (average body weight 9.00 ± 0.02 g) were selected and randomly divided into six groups with three repetitions, and six groups of fish were randomly placed into 18 test tanks (200 L) with 20 fish per tank for the 52-day feeding test. Every day, the fish were fed the experimental feed with different concentrations (0, 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 g/kg) to the level of apparent satiation, with a crude protein content of 48.0% and a crude fat content of 8.6%. And the water temperature was maintained at 25-28°C with a salinity of 0.5%-1‰. After feeding, five fish were randomly selected to collect their livers and serum for detection of indicators. The results showed that, compared with the control group, ELM significantly increased the activities of lipase (LPS) and trypsin (TRS) in the liver, and reached the highest level when the amount of ELM added was 6 g/kg (P < 0.05). ELM significantly increased the activities of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) involved in the metabolic process in liver tissue, and GOT activity reached the highest when ELM was added at 9 g/kg, and LDH activity reached the highest when ELM was added at 15 g/kg (P < 0.05). ELM had no significant effect on liver antioxidant enzymes (P > 0.05), but the content of malondialdehyde was significantly reduced (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group, ELM significantly increased the activities of AKP and ACP in the liver, and the AKP activity reached the highest when the ELM addition amount was 3 g/kg, and the ACP activity reached the highest when the ELM addition amount was 9 g/kg (P < 0.05). Through comparative transcriptomic analysis, it was indicated that ELM enhanced the hepatic lipids and carbohydrates metabolism ability, as manifested in the upregulation of expression of phosphatidate phosphatase, glucuronosyltransferase, inositol oxygenase, carbonic anhydrase, and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 2. ELM can also increase the expression of signal transducer and activator of transcription 1, ATP-dependent RNA helicase and C-X-C motif chemokine 9 involved in the immune process. The above results show that the ELM can enhance the digestion, metabolism, and immunity of the liver by increasing the activity of digestive enzymes, metabolic enzymes, and the expression of metabolism and immune regulation genes. This study provides a theoretical basis for the application of ELM in the cultivation of spotted sea bass by exploring the effect of ELM on the liver function of spotted sea bass.

Comparison between outcomes of IgA nephropathy with nephrotic-range proteinuria and nephrotic syndrome: do podocytes play a role?

BACKGROUND: Nephrotic syndrome (NS) and nephrotic-range proteinuria (NRP) are uncommon in IgA nephropathy (IgAN), and their clinicopathology and prognosis have not been discussed. Podocytes may play an important role in both clinical phenotypes. METHODS: We investigated 119 biopsy-proven IgAN patients with proteinuria over 2 g/d. The patients were divided into three groups according to proteinuria level: the overt proteinuria (OP) group, NS group, and NRP group. In addition, according to the severity of foot process effacement (FPE), the patients were divided into three groups: the segmental FPE (SFPE) group, moderate FPE (MFPE) group, and diffuse FPE (DFPE) group. The outcome was survival from a combined event defined by a doubling of the baseline serum creatinine and a 50% reduction in eGFR or ESRD. RESULTS: Compared with the NRP group, patients in the NS group had more severe microscopic hematuria, presented with more severe endocapillary hypercellularity and had a higher percentage of DFPE. The Kaplan-Meier curve showed that MFPE patients had a better outcome in the NRP group <50% of tubular atrophy/interstitial fibrosis. In the multivariate model, the NRP group (HR = 17.098, 95% CI = 3.835-76.224) was associated with an increased risk of the combined event, while MFPE (HR = 0.260, 95% CI = 0.078-0.864; p = 0.028) was associated with a reduced risk of the combined event. After the addition of renin-angiotensin system inhibitors (RASi), the incidence of the combined event in the MFPE group (HR = 0.179, 95% CI = 0.047-0.689; p = 0.012) was further reduced. CONCLUSIONS: NS presented more active lesions and more severe FPE in IgAN. NRP was an independent risk factor for progression to the renal endpoint, while MFPE indicated a better prognosis in NRP without obvious chronic renal lesions, which may benefit from RASi.

p53 induces miR-199a-3p to suppress mechanistic target of rapamycin activation in cisplatin-induced acute kidney injury.

How p53 participates in acute kidney injury (AKI) progress and what are the underlying mechanisms remain illusive. For this issue, it is important to probe into the role of p53 in cisplatin-induced AKI. We find that p53 was upregulated in cisplatin-induced AKI, yet, pifithrin-α inhibites the p53 expression to attenuated renal injury and cell apoptosis both in vivo cisplatin-induced AKI mice and in vitro HK-2 human renal tubular epithelial cells. To knock down p53 by siRNA significantly decreased the miRNA, miR-199a-3p, expression in HK-2 cells. Blockade of miR-199a-3p significantly reduced cisplatin-induced cell apoptosis and inhibited caspase-3 activity. Mechanistically, we identified that miR-199a-3p directly bound to mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) 3'-untranslated region and overexpressed miR-199a-3p reduce the expression and phosphorylation of mTOR. Furthermore, we demonstrated that p53 inhibited mTOR activation through activating miR-199a-3p. In conclusion, our findings reveal that p53, upregulating the expression of miR-199a-3p affects the progress of cisplatin-induced AKI, which might provide a promising therapeutic target of AKI.

Macrocyclic polyamine-functionalized silica as a solid-phase extraction material coupled with ionic liquid dispersive liquid-liquid extraction for the enrichment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

In this study, silica modified with a 30-membered macrocyclic polyamine was synthesized and first used as an adsorbent material in SPE. The SPE was further combined with ionic liquid (IL) dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME). Five polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were employed as model analytes to evaluate the extraction procedure and were determined by HPLC combined with UV/Vis detection. Acetone was used as the elution solvent in SPE as well as the dispersive solvent in DLLME. The enrichment of analytes was achieved using the 1,3-dibutylimidazolium bis[(trifluoromethyl)sulfonyl]imide IL/acetone/water system. Experimental conditions for the overall macrocycle-SPE-IL-DLLME method, such as the amount of adsorbent, sample solution volume, sample solution pH, type of elution solvent as well as addition of salt, were studied and optimized. The developed method could be successfully applied to the analysis of four real water samples. The macrocyclic polyamine offered higher extraction efficiency for analytes compared with commercially available C18 cartridge, and the developed method provided higher enrichment factors (2768-5409) for model analytes compared with the single DLLME. Good linearity with the correlation coefficients ranging from 0.9983 to 0.9999 and LODs as low as 0.002 µg/L were obtained in the proposed method.

Regulatory effects of Astragalus membranaceus polysaccharides on lipid metabolism disorders induced by a high-fat diet in spotted sea bass (Lateolabrax maculatus).

This study evaluated the regulatory effects of Astragalus membranaceus polysaccharides (AMP) on lipid metabolism disorders induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) in spotted sea bass (Lateolabrax maculatus). Compared with the normal diets (10 % lipids), diets containing 15 % lipid levels were used as the high-fat diet (HFD). Three levels of the AMP (0.06 %, 0.08 %, 0.10 %) were added in the HFD and used as experimental diets. A total of 375 spotted sea bass (average weight 3.00 ± 0.01 g) were divided into 15 tanks and deemed as 5 groups, with each tank containing 25 fish. Fish in each group were fed with different diets for 56 days. After feeding, the HFD induced lipid metabolism disorders in fish, as evidenced by elevated serum lipids, malonaldehyde levels, and more severe liver damage. The AMP alleviated the HFD-induced liver damage, as evidenced by the reduced severity of liver histological lesions and malonaldehyde levels. The low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was reduced, and the expression of FAS and PPAR-α were down and up-regulated, respectively. However, the AMP had a limited ability to affect the serum lipids and abdominal fat percentage. These results reveal the potential of the AMP used in aquaculture to regulate lipid metabolism disorders induced by the HFD.

New bioactive secondary metabolites from fungi: 2023.

Fungi have been identified as a prolific source of structurally unique secondary metabolites, many of which display promising biological and pharmacological properties. This review provides an overview of the structures of new natural products derived from fungi and their biological activities along with the research strategies, which focuses on literature published in the representative journals in 2023. In this review, a total of 553 natural products including 219 polyketides, 145 terpenoids, 35 steroids, 106 alkaloids, and 48 peptides are presented. By summarising the latest findings, this review aims to provide a guide and inspire further innovation in the fields of the discovery of fungal natural products and pharmaceutical development.

Modified Lichong decoction intervenes in colorectal cancer by modulating the intestinal flora and the Wnt/ß-catenin signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: The pathogenesis and treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC) continue to be areas of ongoing research, especially the benefits of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in slowing the progression of CRC. This study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness and mechanism of action of modified Lichong decoction (MLCD) in inhibiting CRC progression. METHODS: We established CRC animal models using azoxymethane/dextran sodium sulfate (AOM/DSS) and administered high, medium, or low doses of MLCD or mesalazine (MS) for 9 weeks to observe MLCD alleviation of CRC. The optimal MLCD dose group was then subjected to metagenomic and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to explore the differentially abundant flora and genes in the control, model and MLCD groups. Finally, the mechanism of action was verified using WB, qRT‒PCR, immunohistochemistry and TUNEL staining. RESULTS: MLCD inhibited the progression of CRC, and the optimal effect was observed at high doses. MLCD regulated the structure and function of the intestinal flora by decreasing the abundance of harmful bacteria and increasing that of beneficial bacteria. The differentially expressed genes were mainly associated with the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway and the cell cycle. Molecular biology analysis indicated that MLCD suppressed the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway and the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), inhibited abnormal cell proliferation and promoted intestinal epithelial cell apoptosis. CONCLUSION: MLCD mitigated the abnormal growth of intestinal epithelial cells and promoted apoptosis, thereby inhibiting the progression of CRC. This inhibition was accomplished by modifying the intestinal microbiota and disrupting the Wnt/ß-catenin pathway and the EMT. Therefore, MLCD could serve as a potential component of TCM prescriptions for CRC treatment.

Effects of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides supplemented to high soybean meal diet on immunity and hepatic health of spotted sea bass Lateolabrax maculatus.

High soybean meal diet (HSBMD) decreased the immunity and damaged the liver health of spotted sea bass; in this study, Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBP) was added to HSBMD to explore its effects on the immunity and liver health. The diet with 44% fish meal content was designed as a blank control. On this basis, soybean meal was used to replace 50% fish meal as HSBMD, and LBP was added in HSBMD in gradient (1.0, 1.5, 2.0 g/kg) as the experimental diet. 225-tailed spotted sea bass with initial body weight of 44.52 ± 0.24 g were randomly divided into 5 groups and fed the corresponding diet for 52 days, respectively. The results show that: after ingestion of HSBMD, the immunity of spotted sea bass decreased slightly and hepatic tissue was severely damaged. And the addition of LBP significantly improved the immune capacity and protected the hepatic health. Specifically, the activities of serum lysozyme (LZM), immunoglobulin M (IgM), liver acid phosphatase (ACP) and alkaline phosphatase (AKP) were increased, and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activities were significantly decreased, and hepatic morphology was improved. In the analysis of transcriptome results, it was found that toll-like receptor 3 (TLR3) and toll-like receptor 5 (TLR5) were down-regulated in toll-like receptor signaling pathway. And LBP may protect hepatic health by regulating Glycolysis/Gluconeogenesis, Insulin signaling pathway, Steroid biosynthesis and other glucolipid-related pathways. In conclusion, the addition of LBP in HSBMD can improve the immunity and protect the hepatic health of spotted sea bass, and its mechanism may be related to glucose and lipid metabolism.

Improved technique for order of preference by similarity to ideal solution method for identifying key terrain in cyberspace asset layer.

Reinforcing weak cyberspace assets is an urgent requirement to defend national cybersecurity. Cyberspace key terrain (CKT) is a theory recently proposed for sensing cyberspace posture. Identifying CKT in the asset layer is essential for supporting cyberspace defense decisions. Existing methods ignore the influence of the multi-attribute correlation of cyberspace nodes and cyber attack mission (CAM) diversity, which restricts the recognition accuracy of CKT. To improve the accuracy of CKT identification and explore the relationship between CKT and CAM, we propose an improved cosine similarity technique for order of preference by similarity to the ideal solution (CosS-TOPSIS) method to model CKT and construct a CAM based on the MITRE adversarial tactics, techniques, and common knowledge (ATT&CK) framework to examine the influence of different weighted CAM on modeling CKT. Based on the vulnerability value calculation method of the cyber system in the common vulnerability scoring system version 3.1 (CVSS 3.1), we evaluated the effectiveness of CosS-TOPSIS in identifying CKT using three metrics: correlation coefficient, root mean square error, and mean absolute error. Our experiments showed that, in comparison with the TOPSIS method, the accuracy of the proposed method for identifying CKT improved by 8.9%, and the root mean square error reduced by 16%; simultaneously, CAM was proven to be an essential factor in identifying CKT. The feasibility and reliability of CosS-TOPSIS in identifying CKT and the close relationship between CAM and CKT identification were demonstrated experimentally. In our work, we utilized cosine similarity and FAHP to improve the baseline method. We also introduced three indicators to evaluate the method's reliability. Drawing from ATT&CK, we recommend CAM as a tool for sensing changes in the cyberspace environment and explore its relationship with CKT. Our work has great application potential for identifying cyberspace vulnerabilities, supporting cyberspace defense, and securing national cyberspace facilities.

Lycium barbarum polysaccharides improve lipid metabolism disorders of spotted sea bass Lateolabrax maculatus induced by high lipid diet.

This experiment explored the effects of Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBP) on lipid metabolism of spotted sea bass Lateolabrax maculatus. Blank and experimental control diets with 100 and 150 g/kg lipid were designed, respectively, and three dosages of LBP (0.75, 1.00, 1.25 g/kg) were supplemented in the experimental control diet. A total 375 of spotted sea bass (19.33 ± 0.15) g were divided into 5 groups, and were given experimental diets for 56 days, respectively. Results showed fish were induced to lipid metabolism disorders with dietary 150 g/kg lipid intake, which manifested in reduced feeding, oxidative stress, elevated serum lipid, and more severe hepatic damage. Dietary LBP improved the lipid metabolism disorders of fish, as indicated by significant enhancements in weight gain, digestion, superoxide dismutase activity, and decreases in malonaldehyde content, and activity of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase. Accordingly, an improvement in the hepatic morphological and expression of lipid metabolism related genes, including FAS, PPAR-α, CPT1 and ATGL, was observed. Nevertheless, no significant variation in serum triglyceride and total cholesterol was observed. Overall, dietary LBP can improve the growth, digestion, antioxidant capacity, and liver health of spotted sea bass, thereby improving the lipid metabolism disorders induced by 150 g/kg dietary lipid intake.

Normal-weight central obesity: implications for diabetes mellitus.

Background: Current guidelines for obesity prevention and control focus on body mass index (BMI) and rarely address central obesity. Few studies have been conducted on the association between normal-weight central obesity and the risk of diabetes mellitus (DM). Methods: 26,825 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were included in our study. A weighted multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the relationship between different obesity patterns and the risk of DM. Results: Our results suggest that normal-weight central obesity is associated with an increased risk of DM (OR: 2.37, 95% CI: 1.75-3.23) compared with normal-weight participants without central obesity. When stratified by sex, men with normal-weight central obesity, obesity and central obesity were found to have a similar risk of DM (OR: 3.83, 95% CI: 2.10-5.97; OR: 4.20, 95% CI: 3.48-5.08, respectively) and a higher risk than all other types of obesity, including men who were overweight with no central obesity (OR: 1.21, 95% CI: 0.96-1.51) and obese with no central obesity (OR: 0.53, 95% CI: 0.30-0.91). Conclusion: Our results highlight the need for more attention in people with central obesity, even if they have a normal BMI.

Effects of dietary Clostridium butyricum on the growth performance, digestion, and intestinal health of spotted sea bass (Lateolabrax maculatus).

Clostridium butyricum (CB) is known to promote growth, enhance immunity, promote digestion, and improve intestinal health. In this study, we investigated the effects of CB in the feed on growth performance, digestion, and intestinal health of juvenile spotted sea bass. To provide a theoretical basis for the development and application of CB in the feed of spotted sea bass, a total of 450 spotted sea bass with an initial body weight of (9.58 ± 0.05) g were randomly divided into six groups. Gradient levels with 0, 0.1%, 0.2%, 0.3%, 0.4%, and 0.5% of CB (1×109 cfu/g) were supplemented into diets, designated as CC, CB1, CB2, CB3, CB4, and CB5, respectively. Each group was fed for 54 days. Our results suggest that dietary 0.2% and 0.3% of CB can significantly increase the weight gain (WG) and specific growth rate (SGR) of spotted sea bass. The addition of CB significantly increased intestinal amylase activity, intestinal villus length, intestinal villus width, and intestinal muscle thickness. Similarly, CB supplementation increased the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-8 (IL-8). Sequence analysis of the bacterial 16S rDNA region showed that dietary CB altered the intestinal microbiota profile of juvenile spotted sea bass, increasing the dominant bacteria in the intestine and decreasing the harmful bacteria. Overall, dietary addition of CB can improve growth performance, enhance intestinal immunity, improve intestinal flora structure, and comprehensively improve the health of spotted sea bass.

Effect of Supplementation of Chlorogenic Acid to High-Fat Diet on Growth, Lipid Metabolism, Intestinal and Hepatic Histology, and Gut Microbiota of Spotted Sea Bass (Lateolabrax maculatus).

The study investigated the impact of chlorogenic acid (CGA) supplementation in a high-fat diet (HFD) on growth, lipid metabolism, intestinal and hepatic histology, as well as gut microbiota in spotted sea bass. A total of 540 fish were fed six experimental diets, including a normal fat diet (NFD), a high-fat diet (HFD), and HFD supplemented with 100, 200, 300, and 400 mg/kg CGA (named HFD1, HFD2, HFD3, and HFD4, respectively) for 7 weeks. The results showed that HFD feeding increased growth and hepatic lipid deposition compared to that in the NFD group. Inclusion of 300 mg/kg CGA in HFD decreased the HFD-induced hyperlipemia (p < 0.05). Additionally, compared to the HFD group, the HFD4 group showed significant reductions in serum aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT) levels as well as hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA) content, while also improving liver total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) (p < 0.05). In the CGA-containing groups, hepatocytes were arranged more neatly than those in the HFD group, and there was a reduction in lipid deposition and hemolysis in the liver. Supplementation of CGA had effects on intestinal structure including an increase in mucosal thickness, as well as villus number and width. The diversity of intestinal flora in the CGA-containing groups was higher than those in the HFD group, and supplementation of 200 mg/kg CGA significantly increased the abundance of intestinal bacteria (p < 0.05). HFD4 feeding increased the intestinal Bacteroidetes to Firmicutes ratio and decreased the abundance of Vibrio. The highest value abundance of Actinobacteriota was found in the HFD2 group. Overall, HFD caused negative effects, and supplementation of 200-400 mg/kg CGA to HFD improved fat deposition, lipid metabolic disorders and liver and gut histology, and increased gut bacterial diversity in spotted sea bass.

Paeoniflorin promotes intestinal stem cell-mediated epithelial regeneration and repair via PI3K-AKT-mTOR signalling in ulcerative colitis.

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic and immune-mediated inflammatory disorder characterized by abdominal pain, diarrhoea, and haematochezia. The goal of clinical therapy for UC is mucosal healing, accomplished by regenerating and repairing the intestinal epithelium. Paeoniflorin (PF) is a natural ingredient extracted from Paeonia lactiflora that has significant anti-inflammatory and immunoregulatory efficacy. In this study, we investigated how PF could regulate the renewal and differentiation of intestinal stem cells (ISCs) to improve the regeneration and repair of the intestinal epithelium in UC. Our experimental results showed that PF significantly alleviated colitis induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS) and ameliorated intestinal mucosal injury by regulating the renewal and differentiation of ISCs. The mechanism by which PF regulates ISCs was confirmed to be through PI3K-AKT-mTOR signalling. In vitro, we found that PF not only improved the growth of TNF-α-induced colon organoids but also increased the expression of genes and proteins related to the differentiation and regeneration of ISCs. Furthermore, PF promoted the repair ability of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced IEC-6 cells. The mechanism by which PF regulates ISCs was further confirmed and was consistent with the in vivo results. Overall, these findings demonstrate that PF accelerates epithelial regeneration and repair by promoting the renewal and differentiation of ISCs, suggesting that PF treatment may be beneficial to mucosal healing in UC patients.

Copper inks for printed electronics: a review.

Conductive inks have attracted tremendous attention owing to their adaptability and the convenient large-scale fabrication. As a new type of conductive ink, copper-based ink is considered to be one of the best candidate materials for the conductive layer in flexible printed electronics owing to its high conductivity and low price, and suitability for large-scale manufacturing processes. Recently, tremendous progress has been made in the preparation of cooper-based inks for electronic applications, but the antioxidation ability of copper-based nanomaterials within inks or films, that is, long-term reliability upon exposure to water and oxygen, still needs more exploration. In this review, we present a comprehensive overview of copper inks for printed electronics from ink preparation, printing methods and sintering, to antioxidation strategies and electronic applications. The review begins with an overview of the development of copper inks, followed by a demonstration of various preparation methods for copper inks. Then, the diverse printing techniques and post-annealing strategies used to fabricate conductive copper patterns are discussed. In addition, antioxidation strategies utilized to stabilize the mechanical and electrical properties of copper nanomaterials are summarized. Then the diverse applications of copper inks for electronic devices, such as transparent conductive electrodes, sensors, optoelectronic devices, and thin-film transistors, are discussed. Finally, the future development of copper-based inks and the challenges of their application in printed electronics are discussed.

Fabrication and evaluation of tetraazahexaphenylmacrocycle-bonded stationary phase with multiple retention mechanisms.

A 34-membered tetraazahexaphenylmacrocycle (N4Ph6) with a rigid π-conjugated moiety was chemically bonded to silica gel with 3-chloropropyltrimethoxysilane as the coupling agent to prepare a novel SiO2@N4Ph6 stationary phase. Several common organic analytes, including alkylbenzenes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, anilines, phenols, phthalates, and folic acid, were selected as probes to investigate its chromatographic performance. The as-developed SiO2@N4Ph6 stationary phase showed superiority retention and high selectivity for probe molecules through multiple interactions, including hydrophobic, π-π, hydrogen-bonding, and steric interactions. Density functional theory calculation results using folic acid as model solute provided an intuitive and a quantitative description of the multiple retention mechanisms.

Effective adsorption of phosphate from wastewaters by big composite pellets made of reduced steel slag and iron ore concentrate.

In order to remove phosphate from wastewater, a large plastic adsorption column filled with big phosphate-adsorbing pellets with diameters of 10 mm, heated by electromagnetic induction coils, was conceived. It was found that the prepared big pellets, which were made of reduced steel slag and iron ore concentrate, contain magnetic Fe and Fe3O4. The thermodynamics and kinetics of adsorption of phosphate from synthetic wastewaters on the pellets were studied in this work. The phosphate adsorption on the pellets followed three models of Freundlich, Langmuir and Dubinin-Kaganer-Radushkevick. The maximum phosphate adsorption capacity Qmax of the pellets were 2.46, 2.74 and 2.77 mg/g for the three temperatures of 20°C, 30°C and 40°C, respectively, based on the Langmuir model. The apparent adsorption energies were -12.9 kJ/mol for the three temperatures. It implied that ion exchange was the main mechanism involved in the adsorption processes. The adsorbed phosphate existed on the pellet surface mainly in the form of Fe3(PO4)2. A reduction pre-treatment of the pellet precursor with H2 greatly enhanced pellet adsorption for phosphate. The adsorption kinetics is better represented by a pseudo-first-order model. The adsorbed phosphate amounts were similar for both real and synthetic wastewaters under similar adsorption conditions. The percentage of adsorbed phosphate for a real wastewater increased with increasing pellet concentration and reached 99.2% at a pellet concentration of 64 (g/L). Some specific phosphate adsorption mechanisms for the pellets were revealed and the pellets showed the potential to efficiently adsorb phosphate from a huge amount of real wastewaters in an industrial scale.

Two new azamacrocycle-based stationary phases for high-performance liquid chromatography: preparation and comparative evaluation.

In this paper, two new azamacrocycle-bonded stationary phases for high-performance liquid chromatography are described. The new phases were prepared by respectively coupling a 14-membered Curtis macrocycle and a 30-membered hexaazaannulene to γ-chloropropyltrimethoxylsilane-modified silica and characterized by elemental analysis and infrared spectroscopy. To understand the effects of the structures of the azamacrocyles and their functional groups upon the retention and separation, the chromatographic behaviors of the two stationary phases were compared by eluting alkylbenzenes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and aromatic amines. The two new phases demonstrated unique selectivity and fine chromatographic performance, which were guaranteed by multiple interactions, including hydrophobic, hydrogen-bonding, π-π and dipole-induced dipole interactions between stationary phase and solutes. On the other hand, the difference between the structures of embedded azamacrocyles did lead to remarkable dissimilarity in the shape and planarity recognition of isomers, which was highlighted by the 30-membered hexaazaannulene-bonded phases' superiority over 14-membered tetraazamacrocycle-bonded phases' in discriminating specific PAHs. With a wide range of probes, the linear solvation energy relationship model was also applied to evaluate the chromatographic properties of the two stationary phases, further verifying the chromatographic results.