Comparative evaluation between Taguchi method and response surface method for optimization of electrocoagulation process in the context of treatment of dairy industry wastewater.

The presence of a large amount of organic and inorganic pollutants in dairy effluent is a substantial environmental issue. This study investigated electrocoagulation (EC) as a potential treatment method for dairy wastewater under different operating conditions, such as applied voltage (5-25 V), electrolysis time (30-90 min), and inter-electrode distance (1-2 cm) by using aluminum electrodes. This study focuses on achieving the maximum removal of BOD, COD, and nitrate in dairy effluents with the aforementioned operating conditions. The process was optimized using the response surface methodology (RSM) and Taguchi method. RSM method optimized the electrocoagulation operating conditions such as the voltage at 23.75 V, time of 90 min, and inter-electrode distance at 1.07 cm. This optimization achieved the maximum removal percentage of BOD, COD, and nitrate at 79.06%, 84.35%, and 79.64%, respectively, in dairy effluent. Taguchi method optimized the electrocoagulation parameters such as the voltage at 25 V, time duration of 90 min, and inter-electrode distance of 1.00 cm, showcasing improved removal percentages of BOD, COD, and nitrate as 90.54%, 89.28%, and 82.74% respectively. The current study attempts to understand the optimization efficiencies between Taguchi method and response surface method for diary wastewater treatment.

Clinical characteristics, effectiveness and cost of different treatment methods for invasive Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess syndrome. / ä¾µè¢­æ€§è‚ºç‚Žå ‹é›·ä¼¯èŒè‚è„“è‚¿ç»¼åˆå¾çš„ä¸´åºŠç‰¹å¾åŠä¸åŒæ²»ç–—æ–¹å¼çš„æœ‰æ•ˆæ€§ä¸Žè´¹ç”¨åˆ†æž.

OBJECTIVES: Bacterial liver abscess is one of the common infectious diseases of the digestive system. Invasive Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess syndrome (IKLAS) refers to cases where, in addition to liver abscess, there are migratory infections foci or other invasive manifestations. The clinical characteristics and risk factors of IKLAS are not fully elucidated, and there is a lack of research on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of different treatment methods. This study aims to compare the clinical characteristics of patients with IKLAS and non-IKLAS, and explore effective and economical treatment methods. METHODS: This retrospective study collected medical records of patients with Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess treated at Xiangya Hospital of Central South University from January 2010 to December 2023. A total of 201 patients were included, dividing into an IKLAS group (n=37) and a non-IKLAS group (n=164). Differences in demographics, symptoms and signs, laboratory indicators, imaging characteristics, comorbidities, treatment methods, treatment outcomes, and direct treatment costs between 2 groups were analyzed. The study also compared the effectiveness and costs of different treatment methods. RESULTS: Compared with the non-IKLAS group, the proportion of patients with diabetes, Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA)≥2, immune deficiency, anemia, and thrombocytopenia in the IKLAS group was higher, and the level of procalcitonin at the onset in the IKLAS group was also higher (all P<0.05). In terms of symptoms and signs, the IKLAS group had a higher proportion of visual abnormalities and a lower proportion of complaints of abdominal pain (both P<0.05). In terms of complications, the incidence of combined pleural effusion, pulmonary infection, acute renal failure, respiratory failure, and multiple organ failure was higher in the IKLAS group (all P<0.05). The IKLAS group had a higher proportion of patients treated with antibiotics alone (24.32% vs 11.59%), while the non-IKLAS group had a higher proportion of patients treated with antibiotics combined with puncture and drainage (86.59% vs 64.86%, both P<0.05). The overall effective rate of the IKLAS group (83.78%) was lower than that of the non-IKLAS group (95.73%), and the treatment and drug costs were higher (all P<0.05). The treatment method of antibiotics combined with surgical resection of infectious foci showed a 100% improvement rate, antibiotics combined with abscess puncture and drainage had an 84.9% improvement rate, and in antibiotics alone had an 82.1% improvement rate, with statistical differences among the 3 treatment methods (P<0.05). In terms of treatment costs, antibiotics alone were the most expensive (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with IKLAS have poorer prognosis and higher direct medical costs. The combination of abscess puncture and drainage or surgery has a higher improvement rate and lower hospitalization costs compared to antibiotics alone, suggesting that surgical intervention may reduce antibiotic costs and save medical expenses.

Effect of direct surgical treatment in pregnancy-related uterine arteriovenous malformation.

BACKGROUND: Uterine arteriovenous malformation (UAVM) is a relatively rare but potentially life-threatening situations abnormal vascular connections between the uterine arterial and venous systems. Lack of recognized guidelines and clinic experience, there is a lot of clinic problems about diagnosis and treatment. By analyzing the clinical data of patients with pregnancy-related UAVM, we aim to confirm the safety of direct surgeries and the benefit of pretreatment (uterine artery embolization or medical therapy) before surgery, and to explore more optimal therapies for patients with pregnancy-related UAVM. METHODS: A total of 106 patients in Qilu Hospital of Shandong University from January 2011 to December 2021 diagnosed of pregnancy-related UAVM were involved in this study. Depending on whether preoperative intervention was performed, the patients were divided into direct surgery group and pretreatment group (uterine artery embolization or medical management). Clinical characteristics, operative related factors and prognosis were analyzed. RESULTS: The most common symptom of pregnancy-related UAVM was vaginal bleeding (82.5%), which could also be accompanied by abdominal pain. Pretreatments (uterine artery embolization or medical therapy) had no obvious benefit to the subsequent surgeries, but increased the hospital stay and hospital cost. Direct surgery group had satisfactory success rate and prognosis compared to pretreatment group. CONCLUSION: For pregnancy-related UAVM, direct surgery has good effects and high safety with shorter hospital stays and less hospital cost. What is more, without uterine artery embolization and other medical therapy, patients could remain better fertility in future.

Treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater through activated sludge process-a critical review.

The occurrence of pharmaceutical compounds in water is a rising issue in the environment. These drugs in the waste may be toxic to aquatic organisms and humans as they disrupt the endocrine system, cause genotoxicity, etc. Several techniques were used for the treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater, such as physical, chemical, physiochemical, and biological processes like adsorption, chemical coagulation, and activated sludge processes, but these techniques possess several merits and demerits, such as higher installation and operation costs. This technique is used to remove color and turbidity; reduce biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and total suspended solids (TSS) to permissible limits for reuse of effluent; and prevent diseases caused by pharmaceutical wastewater. This review focuses on the treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater containing drugs like antibiotics, depressants, and hormones, with the activated sludge process having several advantages like good quality effluent and low installation costs.

Non-tuberculosis extensive abdominal lymph node calcification leading to portal hypertension with esophageal and gastric variceal bleeding: a rare case report.

BACKGROUND: Calcification of abdominal lymph node is a common clinical phenomenon, but it is extremely rare to cause serious adverse clinical outcomes. In the present case, the ruptured hemorrhage of the oesophagogastric fundic varices occurred as a result of portal hypertension due to compression of the portal vein by calcified lymph nodes. The patient was treated with medication, interventional therapy, endoscopic therapy, and surgery, respectively and the four different treatment options for the bleeding are worth summarizing. The etiology of this case is extremely rare and is the first to be reported in the world. CASE PRESENTATION: A 32-year-old male patient with no apparent causes of sudden onset of vomiting of blood, the patient underwent four different treatment methods to stop the hemorrhage. The combined diagnosis of whole abdomen enhanced CT and angiography was calcified abdominal lymph nodes compressing the portal vein, leading to portal hypertension and resulting in esophageal and gastric variceal bleeding. Postoperatively, a biopsy of the caseous tubercular tissue of the abdominal wall observed intraoperatively was performed and the biopsy did not show a tubercular component. Therefore, the extensive intra-abdominal lymph node calcification was not associated with tuberculosis. The patient's bleeding ceased after surgery. CONCLUSION: This case has improved the clinician's understanding of the etiology of non-cirrhotic portal hypertension. Based on this, and with this case, the differences between various hemostatic measures were studied in depth.

Can electrocoagulation technology be integrated with wastewater treatment systems to improve treatment efficiency?

Considerable amounts of domestic and industrial wastewater that should be treated before reuse are discharged into the environment annually. Electrocoagulation is an electrochemical technology in which electrical current is conducted through electrodes, it is mainly used to remove several types of wastewater pollutants, such as dyes, toxic materials, oil content, chemical oxygen demand, and salinity, individually or in combination with other processes. Electrocoagulation technology used in hybrid systems along with other technologies for wastewater treatment are reviewed in this work, and the articles reviewed herein were published from 2018 to 2021. Electrocoagulation is widely employed in integrated systems with other electrochemical technologies or conventional methods for effective removal of different pollutants with less cost and sometimes over shorter durations of operation. It has also been observed that the hybrid effects besides increasing the removal efficiency can overcome the disadvantages of using electrocoagulation alone, such as less sludge formation, high cost of operation and increased life of the used electrodes, and stable flux of water with longer periods of operation. More than 20 types of other technologies have been combined efficiently with electrocoagulation.

Non-Destructive Investigation of Intrinsic Magnetic Field of Austenitic Biomaterials by Magnetic Field Sensors.

Investigation of the intrinsic magnetic field of austenitic biomaterial specimens after various heat-treatment processes and mechanical deformation is a matter in this study. Both heat-treatment and mechanical deformation influences are under investigation. A new approach incorporates innovative solutions with the goal to increase the resolution of gained signals in contrast to conventional methods. The proposed procedure was tested on real material specimens. A magnetic field sensor (fluxgate type) was used for this purpose. The presented results clearly show that gained signals can be increased when the appropriate probe instrumentation is used, and the characteristics are further mathematically processed.

[Common anti-inflammatory effects of heat-clearing and toxin-removing Chinese medicines on diverse cardiovascular diseases].

Cardiovascular diseases seriously affect human health and their prevalence continues to increase with the aging of the population. The integrated therapy of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) and western medicine for cardiovascular diseases has achieved certain results, but it is still faced with new challenges. Studies have shown that inflammation plays an important role in the development of cardiovascular diseases and some of these mechanisms have common features. For example, in cardiovascular diseases, C-C motif chemokine receptor 2(CCR2)-expressing macrophages increase and promote inflammation, and excessive activation of NOD-like receptor protein 3(NLRP3) inflammasome leads to the elevation of inflammatory factors. There is also new understanding of the pathogenesis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases in TCM. The heat-toxicity theory in cardiovascular diseases and the therapeutic principle of clearing heat and removing toxin have attracted attention. The clinical and pharmacological studies on the treatment of cardiovascular diseases such as Huanglian Jiedu Decoction and Simiao Yong'an Decoction are also gradually increasing. The present study analyzed the common features of the inflammatory response mechanisms in diverse cardiovascular diseases and discussed the significance of the prevention and treatment of diverse cardiovascular diseases by the treatment method of clearing heat and removing toxin to regulate inflammation, which is expected to provide new ideas and references for clinical treatment and drug research on cardiovascular diseases with the same treatment method for different diseases.

FERTILITY OUTCOMES AFTER MEDICAL AND SURGICAL MANAGEMENT OF TUBAL ECTOPIC PREGNANCY.

The objective was to investigate whether the method of treatment (surgical or medical) affects achieving a new pregnancy, as well as the time to and prognosis of the new pregnancy, in women with ectopic pregnancy (EP). Information on patients treated in our hospital between 2013 and 2014 for EP was retrieved from the computerized patient records. Data on whether these patients achieved pregnancy after EP treatment, time from treatment to new pregnancy, and prognosis of pregnancy were collected by phone interviews. A total of 101 women were analyzed. In addition to descriptive analysis, the χ2-test and Kruskal Wallis test were used to compare the groups. A new pregnancy was present in 84 (83.2%) of the women after EP treatment. There was no significant difference among the women having undergone medical treatment (methotrexate), surgical treatment, medical treatment followed by surgical treatment, or observational management approach in terms of achieving a new pregnancy after treatment and time to and prognosis of the new pregnancy. The study could not determine which treatment method would be superior in women with EP and in planning future pregnancy, but concluded that close clinical and laboratory monitoring is appropriate before deciding on aggressive interventions.

Cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAPP) as a new alternative treatment method for onychomycosis caused by Trichophyton verrucosum: in vitro studies.

PURPOSE: Anthropophilic dermatophytes as etiological factors of onychomycoses are more common than zoophilic fungi. In the case of the latter, reverse zoonoses are possible, which poses a threat to the persistence of dermatophytes in the environment. Nevertheless, without treatment, both types of tinea unguium may lead to complete nail plate destruction and secondary mixed infections with fungi and bacteria. One of the zoophilic dermatophytes that cause onychomycosis is Trichophyton verrucosum, whose prevalence has been increasing in recent years. Such infections are usually treated with allylamines and/or azoles, but such a conventional treatment of infections caused by T. verrucosum often fails or is discontinued by patients. METHODS: Herein, we reveal the results of our in vitro studies related to direct application of cold atmospheric pressure plasma (CAPP) on Trichophyton verrucosum growth, germination and adherence to nail as a new alternative treatment method of such types of dermatomycoses. RESULTS: Our in vitro studies showed that, while exposure to CAPP for 10 min delays germination of conidia and clearly impairs the fitness of the fungal structures, 15 min is enough to kill all fungal elements exposed to plasma. Moreover, the SEM images revealed that T. verrucosum cultures exposed to CAPP for 10 and 15 min were not able to invade the nail fragments. CONCLUSION: The results revealed that single exposure to CAPP was able to inhibit T. verrucosum growth and infection capacity. Hence, cold atmospheric pressure plasma should be considered as a promising alternative treatment of onychomycoses.

T1 glottic laryngeal cancer: the role of routine follow-up visits in detecting local recurrence.

PURPOSE: We assessed the treatment outcome and the benefits of routine follow-up visits in T1 glottic laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC). METHODS: Medical records of patients diagnosed with stage T1 glottic LSCC (N = 303) in five Finnish university hospitals between 2003 and 2015 were reviewed. Moreover, data from the Finnish Cancer Registry and the Population Register Center were collected. RESULTS: Of all 38 recurrences, 26 (68%) were detected during a routine follow-up visit, and over half (21 of 38, 55%) presented without new symptoms. Primary treatment method (surgery vs. radiotherapy) was not connected with 5-year disease-specific survival (DSS) or laryngeal preservation rate. CONCLUSION: The majority of recurrences were detected on a routine follow-up visit, and local recurrences often presented without new symptoms. Routine post-treatment follow-up of T1 glottic LSCC seems beneficial. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Trial registration number and date of registration HUS/356/2017 11.12.2017.

CHANGES IN BIOCHEMICAL BLOOD VALUES DURING COMPLEX TREATMENT OF RHINOSINUSITIS POLYPOSA PATIENTS.

OBJECTIVE: The aim: To increase the effectiveness of treatment of sinusitis polyposa patients, develop and introduce a new non-traditional complex method of influencing several links of the pathogenesis of this disease, including laser therapy and laser puncture, used in the postoperative period. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Materials and methods: In 60 rhinosinusitis polyposa patients the indicators of lipid peroxidation and the state of antioxidant protection were studied. Depending on the type of treatment, the patients were divided into two groups: the first included 30 people who underwent traditional surgical intervention, and the second - 30 people who used complex therapy, including in the postoperative period endonasal laser exposure and laser puncture. Methods: clinical data, the functional state of the nasal mucosa, indicators of lipid peroxidation (hydroperoxide, malondialdehyde) and antioxidant activity (glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, reduced glutathione, superoxide cismutase, catalase) of erythrocyte membranes and blood serum were studied. RESULTS: Results: The proposed complex method for treating lipids of erythrocyte membranes and serum, which includes endonasal surgical intervention, endonasal laser therapy and laser puncture leads to the normalization of physiological functions of the nose, activates antioxidant protection and reduces the peroxide activity of lipids in the membranes of erythrocytes and blood serum. CONCLUSION: Conclusions: When examining patients in the long-term (after 1 year) period, a significant improvement in 85.7% of cases, an improvement in 10.7%, and absence of effect in 3.6% was achieved. Thus, the proposed method of therapy can be recommended for widespread use in medical institutions.

Clinical analysis and examination of neonatal sepsis.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to analyze the different clinical manifestations of neonatal sepsis, the related factors leading to neonatal complications, and the related factors of common complications, so as to provide a theoretical basis and logical proof for the treatment of neonatal sepsis. METHODS: This article collects clinical data of 110 cases of septicaemic neonates, compare the clinical characteristics, general conditions, pathogen distribution, laboratory test data of two groups of patients with septicaemic, and conduct statistics and analysis. RESULTS: The results showed that among 110 patients, there were 53 (48%) cases of premature septicaemic and 9 (8%) cases were infected during pregnancy. There were 7 (6%) cases of amniotic fluid contamination. There were 26(23%) cases of risk factors in the womb. 25 (23%) cases of children with multiple symptoms., The positive rates of white blood cell and platelet examination, c-reactive protein examination and neutrophil rod-nucleus/neutrophil examination were 59.64%, 38.77%, 38.6% and 5.66% respectively. Procalcitonin level was positively correlated with c-reactive protein (P<0.01, r=0.7). Among them, 6 (5.45%) cases were positive in blood culture, including 3 (2.72%) cases of staphylococcus epidermidis, 2(1.81%)cases of staphylococcus aureus and 1(0.90%)case of escherichia coli. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical manifestations of neonatal sepsis are relatively concealed, and antibiotics are used reasonably in the early treatment process to deal with the symptoms of the disease and promote the improvement of the treatment effect.

[Choice of optimal treatment strategy for acute perianal thrombosis. Results of online survey]. / Vybor metoda lecheniia ostrogo perianal'nogo tromboza. Rezul'taty oprosa vrachei.

OBJECTIVE: To study the factors influencing the physicians' choice of treatment strategy in patients with acute perianal thrombosis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A survey was conducted among 124 Russian colorectal surgeons. RESULTS: This survey showed that the choice of treatment strategy varies between private and state clinics. Conservative approach is preferred in government clinics (p=0.024). The time factor is more important for professionals. Hemorrhoidectomy is preferred in private clinicians, thrombectomy - in public clinics. The majority of physicians note that pregnancy significantly affects choice of treatment tactics. The most important factors to refuse surgery are pregnancy (r=0.796), age over 70 years (r=0.655), duration of thrombosis over 4 days (r=0.791). Large thrombosed node (2-3 cm), severe pain syndrome (r=0.858) and duration of disease less than 3 days (r=0.901) determine preferable surgical approach. CONCLUSION: The choice of treatment of acute perianal thrombosis depends on not only duration of disease, severity of pain syndrome, age and pregnancy, but also on the type of the hospital. Conservative treatment is preferable in the majority of national state hospitals. Moreover, most surgeons prefer less aggressive treatment options in the state clinics. Further research is needed to determine any important factors limiting more effective surgical treatment besides pain and patient's attitude toward the disease.

Infection and treatment method (ITM) vaccine against East Coast fever: reducing the number of doses per straw for use in smallholder dairy herds by thawing, diluting and refreezing already packaged vaccine.

BACKGROUND: The Infection and Treatment Method (ITM) of vaccination is the only immunization procedure currently available to protect cattle against East Coast fever (ECF), a tick-transmitted disease responsible for losses of several hundreds of millions of dollars per year in sub-Saharan Africa. The vaccine comprises a homogenized preparation of infected ticks packaged in straws and stored in liquid nitrogen. The current manufacturing protocol results in straws containing 30-40 doses (ILRI 0804), which is impractical for immunizing small herds as found in dairy and smallholder farming systems. The ILRI 0804 SD stabilate was prepared as a 1:5 dilution of the parent stabilate, with the aim of producing vaccine stabilate straws containing between four to eight doses and thus suitable for smallholder farming systems. Infectivity of the diluted stabilate was assessed and the protective efficacy of the diluted stabilate was determined by performing experimental and field immunizations. RESULTS: Two groups of six cattle were inoculated with 1 ml of the diluted stabilate at 1:20 (equivalent to the recommended field dose for ILRI 0804, assuming no loss of sporozoite viability during thawing and refreezing) and 1:14 (assuming 30-35% loss of sporozoite viability). Schizonts were detected in all 12 animals, showing viability of sporozoites. Ten animals from the infectivity study and two control animals not previously exposed to T. parva were challenged with the parental ILRI 0804 stabilate. The results show that the two control animals displayed severe ECF reactions and were treated 14 days after challenge. Of the previously infected animals, only one underwent a severe reaction following challenge, a result in accord with the challenge experiments performed previously with the parent stabilate [Ticks Tick-Borne Dis 7:306-314, 2016]. The animal that displayed a severe reaction had no detectable schizonts and did not seroconvert following the initial inoculation with ILRI 0804 SD. In addition, 62 animals immunized under field conditions showed a mean seroconversion rate of 82%. CONCLUSION: The results presented in this article demonstrate that it is possible to prepare straws suitable for use in smallholder herds by thawing, diluting and refreezing already packaged vaccine.

In vitro efficacy of three different implant surface decontamination methods in three different defect configurations.

OBJECTIVES: Evaluation of in vitro efficacy of three different implant surface decontamination methods in a peri-implant bone defect model. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 180 implants were stained with indelible red color and distributed to standardized peri-implant bone defect resin models with a circumferential defect angulation of 30°, 60°, or 90° (supraosseous defect). Sixty implants were assigned to each type of defect. All implants were cleaned by the same examiner. For each type of defect, 20 implants were cleaned for 2 min with one of 3 devices: curette (CUR), sonicscaler (SOSC), or air abrasion with glycine powder (APA). Thereafter, photographs were taken from both sides of each implant and the cumulative uncleaned implant surface area was measured by color recognition technique. Scanning electron micrographs (SEM) were examined to assess morphologic surface damages. RESULTS: The cleaning efficacy as percent (%) of residual color was significantly different for each of the 3 defect angulations (p < 0.001) for each treatment device: 30° CUR: 53.44% > SOSC: 19.69% > APA: 8.03%; 60° CUR: 57.13% > SOSC: 11.4% > APA: 0.13%; and 90° CUR: 48.1% > SOSC: 13.07% > APA: 0.58%. The differences between the three different cleaning modalities within each defect type were also significant (p < 0.005). SEM micrographs showed no surface damages after the use of APA. CONCLUSION: Air powder abrasion is the most efficient (APA > SOSC > CUR) and less surface damaging treatment modality for each defect angulation in this in vitro model.

A new concept of advanced management of hazardous waste in the Republic of Korea.

In order to activate the recycling of hazardous wastes, the hazardous characteristics of wastes should be removed or stabilized. However, most recyclers in recycling companies do not understand how to remove the hazardous characteristics in wastes with the proper technology. The aim of a new form of advanced management of hazardous waste is to inform recyclers and operators in industries about hazardous characteristics and the treatment methods required for all management processes, from waste generation to final treatment. In a new method of advanced management of hazardous wastes, chemicals in the waste should be initially examined at the generation source in each industry to create a chemical catalogue. Since hazardous characteristics can be determined by a chemical catalogue obtained from the waste, the hazardous characteristics of wastes can be established and considered when choosing the proper treatment method. Then, the categories of waste treatment methods for each hazardous characteristic can be introduced for generators to treat hazardous wastes properly. Therefore, it is possible to create a link between the source and the final treatment of hazardous wastes using a new concept of industry (In), waste (W), hazardous chemicals and their hazardous characteristics (Ha) and treatment methods (T). This new concept of the "InWhat" system, which includes all management processes in Korea, from waste generation to final treatment, will be proposed as a tool in the advanced management of hazardous wastes.

Formation process and mechanism of humic acid-kaolin complex determined by carbamazepine sorption experiments and various characterization methods.

To explore the formation process and mechanism of organic matter and organic-mineral complex under humification and mineralization conditions, a series of samples including humic acid, kaolin, and humic acid-kaolin complex were prepared using a subcritical water treatment method (SWT) under specific temperature, pressure and reaction time conditions. HA was used as a surrogate for natural organic matter because it has a similar abundant pore structure, variety of carbon types, and chemical components. These samples were used in carbamazepine (CBZ) sorption experiments and characterized by a variety of techniques. The polymerization of humic acid under the conditions of increased temperature and pressure resulted in an increase in specific surface area and molecular quantity. In addition, the degree of aromaticity rose from 59.52% to 70.90%. These changes were consistent with the transformation from 'soft carbon' to 'hard carbon' that occurs in nature. The results of sorption experiments confirmed the interaction between humic acid and kaolin from the difference between the predicted and actual Qe values. The conceptual model of humic acid-kaolin complex could be deduced and described as follows. Firstly, the aromatic components of humic acid preferentially combine with kaolin through the intercalation effect, which protects them from the treatment effects. Next, the free carboxyl groups and small aliphatic components of humic acid interact on the surface of kaolin, and these soft species transform into dense carbon through cyclization and polymerization. As a result, humic acid-kaolin complex with a mineral core and dense outer carbonaceous patches were formed.

RNA therapeutics for disorders of excretory system.

The excretory system is responsible for removing wastes from the human body, which plays a crucial role in our lives. Current treatments for diseases related to this system have shown several limitations; therefore, there is a rising need for novel methods. In this circumstance, RNA-based therapeutics have rapidly emerged as new and promising candidates. In fact, to date, a handful of potential drugs have passed the development step and entered the clinical pipeline. Among them, one drug received FDA approval to enter the global market, which is Oxlumo (Lumasiran) for the treatment of primary hyperoxaluria type 1. For other excretory diseases, such as paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria, urothelial cancer or renal cancer, RNA-based candidates are also being tested under clinical trials. Currently, the most potential types of RNA therapeutics to treat disorders of the excretory system are those based on small interfering RNA (siRNA), antisense oligonucleotides (ASO) and messenger RNA (mRNA), Among them, siRNA therapeutics seem to be the most promising, including Oxlumo and two other developing drug candidates. This chapter will provide a general overview on the application of RNA therapeutics in disorders of the excretory system.

Explanatory models and animal health-seeking behavior for East Coast fever in rural Kenya: an ethnographic study.

Introduction: Explanatory models of disease focus on individuals' and groups' understandings of diseases, revealing a disconnect between livestock keepers and animal health providers. Animal health providers rely on models grounded in their veterinary training and experience. At the same time, livestock keepers may construct models based on traditional knowledge and their lived experience with East Coast fever in their cattle herds. To better understand East Coast fever and develop more efficient management strategies, this ethnographic study used the explanatory models' framework to provide a structured way for comprehending and contrasting different beliefs and understandings of East Coast fever as perceived by the livestock keepers across the different livestock production systems. Method: Multiple data collection methods were employed, including unstructured observations, 30 in-depth interviews (IDIs), 18 focus group discussions (FGDs), and 25 key informant interviews (KIIs). Results: Adult cattle, calves and sheep were perceived as susceptible to East Coast fever. However, there were varying perceptions of livestock susceptible to East Coast fever in the different livestock production systems. East Coast fever was attributed to multiple factors, including ticks, tsetse flies, mosquitos, birds, stagnant, dirty, or contaminated water, and livestock-wildlife interactions. However, some aspects were specific to the production system. Livestock keepers classified diseases based on observable signs, grouping diseases with similar signs under the same classification. Moreover, livestock keepers described different forms of East Coast fever ranging from treatable to fatal, which could be distinguished by the signs they presented. Self-treatment with drugs from the local agro-vet shops was the initial course of action during suspected cases of East Coast fever. Animal health practitioners were the last resort if self-treatment did not produce the desired outcome. Livestock keepers perceived avoidance of stagnant or contaminated water, tick control, and fencing as effective control measures for East Coast fever in their livestock herd. Very few livestock keepers were aware of an East Coast fever vaccine. Discussion: Mechanistic explanations hold little significance in controlling East Coast fever. Instead, understanding and addressing livestock keepers' beliefs regarding ECF is crucial for promoting behaviors that support interventions across different livestock production systems.