Iron-modified biochar inhibiting Cd uptake in rice by Cd co-deposition with Fe oxides in the rice rhizosphere.

Fe-enriched biochar has proven to be effective in reducing Cd uptake in rice plants by enhancing iron plaque formation. However, the effect of Fe on biochar, especially the biochar with high S content, for Cd immobilization in rice rhizosphere was not fully understood. To obtain eco-friendly Fe-loaded biochar at a low cost, garlic straw, bean straw, and rape straw were chosen as the feedstocks for Fe-enhanced biochar production by co-pyrolysis with Fe2O3. The resulting biochars and Fe-loaded biochars were GBC, BBC, BRE, GBC-Fe, BBC-Fe, and BRE-Fe, respectively. XRD and FTIR analyses showed that Fe was successfully loaded onto the biochar. The pristine and Fe-containing biochars were applied at rates of 0% (BC0) and 0.1% in pot experiments. Results suggested that BBC-Fe caused the highest reduction in Cd content of rice grain, and the reductions were 67.9% and 31.4%, compared with BC0 and BBC, respectively. Compared to BBC, BBC-Fe effectively reduced Cd uptake in rice roots by 47.5%. The exchangeable and acid-soluble fraction of Cd (F1-Cd) in soil with BBC-Fe treatment was 37.6% and 63.7% lower than that of BC0 and BBC, respectively. Compared to BC0, soil pH was increased by 0.53 units with BBC-Fe treatment. BBC-Fe significantly increased Fe oxides (free Fe oxides, amorphous Fe oxides, and complex Fe oxides) content in the soil as well. DGT study demonstrated that BBC-Fe could enhance the mobility of sulfate in the rhizosphere, which might be beneficial for Cd fixation in the rhizosphere. Moreover, BBC-Fe increased the relative abundance of Bacteroidota, Firmicutes, and Clostridia, which might be beneficial for Cd immobilization in the rhizosphere. This work highlights the synergistic effect of loaded Fe and biochar on Cd immobilization by enhancing Cd deposited with Fe oxides.

Endovascular repair with a physician-modified fenestrated endograft to treat abdominal aortic pseudoaneurysm with Behcet's disease: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Aortic involvement in patients with Behcet's disease (BD) is rare, but it is one of the most severe manifestations. Open surgical repair of aortic aneurysm is challenging considering the high risk of postoperative recurrent anastomotic pseudoaneurysms and is associated with a much higher mortality rate. Recently, endovascular treatment has proven to be a feasible, less invasive alternative to surgery for these patients. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a total endovascular repair of a paravisceral abdominal aortic pseudoaneurysm in a 25-year-old male patient with BD. The pseudoaneurysm was successfully excluded, and the blood supply of visceral arteries was preserved with a physician-modified three-fenestration endograft under 3D image fusion guidance. Immunosuppressive therapy was continued for 1 year postoperatively. At 18 months, the patient was asymptomatic without abdominal pain. Computed tomography angiography demonstrated the absence of pseudoaneurysm recurrence, good patency of visceral vessels. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Endovascular repair using physician-modified fenestrated endografts is a relatively safe and effective approach for treating paravisceral aortic pseudoaneurysm in BD patients. This technique enables the preservation of the visceral arteries and prevents aneurysm recurrence at the proximal and distal landing zones, which are common complications of open surgical repair in these patients. Furthermore, we emphasize the importance of adequate immunosuppressive therapy before and after surgical repair in BD patients, which is a major risk factor for recurrence and poor prognosis.

Synergistically enhancing the selective adsorption of cationic dyes through copper impregnation and amino functionality into iron-based metal-organic frameworks.

Dyes contaminating the sewages have seriously threatened the living beings and their separation from wastewater in terms of potential resource recovery is of high value. Herein, both of metal node doping and ligand group grafting were taken into account to enhance the adsorption selectivity of Fe-MOFs towards cationic dyes. The positive correlation between copper doping amount and selective coefficient (∂MOMB) for methylene blue (MB) over methyl orange (MO) within a certain range was mainly attributed to the increased surface negative charges via partial replacement of Fe(III) with Cu(II). Moreover, the amount of surface negative charges was further increased after amino functionalization and there was a synergism between Cu(II) and -NH2 in selectivity enhancement. As a result, Fe0.6Cu0.4-BDC-NH2 exhibited a 22.5-times increase in ∂MOMB and other cationic dyes including malachite green (MG) and rhodamine B (Rh. B) could also be selectively separated from binary and quaternary mixed dye systems. Moreover, Fe0.6Cu0.4-BDC-NH2 showed many superiorities like a wide pH range of 4.0-8.0, strong anti-interference ability over various inorganic ions, good recyclability, and stability. The adsorption kinetics and isotherm suggested that the MB adsorption process was a homogeneous single-layer chemisorption. Additionally, the thermodynamics manifested that the overall process was exothermic and spontaneous. According to the FT-IR and XPS spectra analysis, the electrostatic interaction and hydrogen bonding were determined as the main driving forces, and π-π interaction also contributed to the adsorption process.

Identification of potential drug targets for varicose veins: a Mendelian randomization analysis.

Introduction: Varicose veins are a common chronic disease that creates a significant economic burden on the healthcare system. Current treatment options, including pharmacological treatments, are not always effective, and there is a need for more targeted therapies. A Mendelian randomization (MR) method uses genetic variants as instrumental variables to estimate the causal effect of an exposure on an outcome, and it has been successful in identifying therapeutic targets in other diseases. However, few studies have used MR to explore potential protein drug targets for varicose veins. Methods: To identify potential drug targets for varicose veins of lower extremities, we undertook a comprehensive screen of plasma protein with a two-sample MR method. We used recently reported cis-variants as genetic instruments of 2,004 plasma proteins, then applied MR to a recent meta-analysis of genome-wide association study on varicose veins (22,037 cases and 437,665 controls). Furthermore, pleiotropy detection, reverse causality testing, colocalization analysis, and external replication were utilized to strengthen the causal effects of prioritized proteins. Phenome-wide MR (PheW-MR) of the prioritized proteins for the risk of 525 diseases was conducted to screen potential side effects. Results: We identified eight plasma proteins that are significantly associated with the risk of varicose veins after Bonferroni correction (P < 2.495 × 10-5), with five being protective (LUM, POSTN, RPN1, RSPO3, and VAT1) and three harmful (COLEC11, IRF3, and SARS2). Most identified proteins showed no pleiotropic effects except for COLLEC11. Bidirectional MR and MR Steiger testing excluded reverse causal relationship between varicose veins and prioritized proteins. The colocalization analysis indicated that COLEC11, IRF3, LUM, POSTN, RSPO3, and SARS2 shared the same causal variant with varicose veins. Finally, seven identified proteins replicated with alternative instruments except for VAT1. Furthermore, PheW-MR revealed that only IRF3 had potential harmful adverse side effects. Conclusions: We identified eight potential causal proteins for varicose veins with MR. A comprehensive analysis indicated that IRF3, LUM, POSTN, RSPO3, and SARS2 might be potential drug targets for varicose veins.

Clinical efficacy of posterior endoscopic cervical modified trench technique in the treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy: A retrospective study.

To investigate the clinical efficacy of the posterior endoscopic cervical modified trench technique in the treatment of cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM). This retrospective study included 9 patients with single-segment CSM, who were treated with posterior endoscopic cervical modified trench technique. Related clinical data, the visual analog scale, Japanese Orthopedic Association (JOA) ratings, JOA improvement rate, the minimum sagittal diameter of the spinal canal, and surgical complications were recorded. There were 5 men and 4 females, with an average age of 60.44 ± 16.49 years. Without any significant side effects like paralysis, vascular damage, or cerebrospinal fluid leaking, all surgeries were successfully completed. One year's worth of follow-up with patients lasted for 8.56 ± 3.68 months. When compared to before surgery, the postoperative visual analog scale ratings, JOA scores, and minimum sagittal diameter of the spinal canal value all showed a substantial improvement (P < .01). At the most recent follow-up, 2 patients had a JOA improvement rate of >75%, 6 patients had a JOA improvement rate of 74 to 50%, 1 patient had a JOA improvement rate of 49 to 25%, and none had a JOA improvement rate of <25%. The JOA improvement rate was above 90% for overall excellent and good ratings. In our study, the ventral epidural space may be maneuvered more easily and instrument-induced nerve discomfort is decreased when using the posterior endoscopic cervical modified trench approach with posterior endoscopy. The short-term clinical effect of the posterior endoscopic cervical modified trench technique for CSM is satisfactory.

Pig manure biochar for contaminated soil management: nutrient release, toxic metal immobilization, and Chinese cabbage cultivation.

Pig manure could be an effective fertilizer source for soil, but with high concentrations of xic elements. It has been shown that the pyrolysis method could largely reduce the environmental risk of pig manure. However, the comprehensive analysis of both toxic metals immobilization effect and environmental risk of pig manure biochar applied as a soil amendment is rarely addressed. To address the knowledge gap, this study was carried out with pig manure (PM) and pig manure biochar (PMB). The PM was pyrolyzed at 450 â„ƒ and 700 â„ƒ, the corresponding biochar was abbreviated as PMB450 and PMB700, respectively. The PM and PMB were applied in a pot experiment growing Chinese cabbage (Brassica rape L. ssp. Pekinensis) with clay-loam paddy soil. The application rates of PM were set at 0.5% (S), 2% (L), 4% (M) and 6% (H). With the equivalent mass principle, PMB450 and PMB700 were applied at 0.23% (S), 0.92% (L), 1.84% (M), 2.76% (H), and 0.192% (S), 0.7% (L), 1.4% (M), 2.1% (H), respectively. Parameters of Chinese cabbage biomass and quality, total and available concentrations of toxic metals in soil, and soil chemical properties were systemically measured. The main results of this study showed that compared with PM, PMB700 was more effective than PMB450, which induced the highest reductions of Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd contents in cabbage by 62.6%, 73.0%, 43.9%, and 74.3%, respectively. Both PM and PMB increased the total contents of metals (Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd) in soil, and PMB decreased the mobility of Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd at high application rates (≥2%). Treatment with H-PMB700 reduced CaCl2 extractable Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd by 70.0%, 71.6%, 23.3%, and 15.9%, respectively. For Cu, Zn, Pb, and Cd fractions with BCR extraction, PMB treatments, especially PMB700, were more effective than PM in decreasing the available fractions (F1 +F2 +F3) at high application rates (≥2%). Overall, pyrolysis with high temperature (e.g., 700 â„ƒ) could significantly stabilize the toxic elements in PM and enhance PM's effect on toxic metals immobilization. The marked effects of PMB700 on toxic metal immobilization and cabbage quality improvement might be attributed to high ash contents and liming effect.

Iliac Artery Tortuosity Index in Chinese Patients with or without Aortic Artery Aneurysms and Related Influencing Factors.

BACKGROUND: Iliac artery tortuosity is an important anatomical factor that influences the endovascular repair of aortic artery aneurysms. The influencing factors of the iliac artery tortuosity index (TI) have not been well studied. TI of iliac arteries and related factors in Chinese patients with and without abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) were studied in this study. METHODS: One hundred and ten consecutive patients with AAA and 59 patients without AAA were included. For patients with AAA, the diameter of the AAA was 51.9 ± 13.3 mm (24.7-92.9 mm). Those without AAA had no history of definite arterial diseases and came from a cohort of patients diagnosed with urinary calculi. The central lines of the common iliac artery (CIA) and external iliac artery were depicted. The actual length and the straight distance were measured and used to calculate the TI (actual length/straight distance). Common demographic factors and anatomical parameters were analyzed to identify any related influencing factors. RESULTS: For patients without AAA, the total TI of the left and right side was 1.16 ± 0.14 and 1.16 ± 0.13, respectively (P = 0.48). For patients with AAAs, the total TI in the left and right side was 1.36 ± 0.21 and 1.36 ± 0.19, respectively (P = 0.87). The TI in external iliac artery was more severe than that in CIA both in patients with and without AAAs (P < 0.01). Age was the only demographic factor found to be associated with TI in patients with AAA (Pearson's correlation coefficient r ≈ 0.3, P < 0.01) and without AAA (r ≈ 0.6, P < 0.01). For anatomical parameters, the diameter was positively associated with the total TI (left side: r = 0.41, P < 0.01; right side: r = 0.34, P < 0.01). The ipsilateral CIA diameter was also associated with the TI (left side: r = 0.37, P < 0.01; right side: r = 0.31, P < 0.01). The length of the iliac arteries was not associated with age or AAA diameter. Reduction of the vertical distance of the iliac arteries may be a common underlying reason for age and AAA. CONCLUSIONS: Tortuosity of the iliac arteries was probably an age-related problem in normal individuals. It was also positively correlated with the diameter of the AAA and the ipsilateral CIA in patients with AAA. Attention should be paid to the evolution of iliac artery tortuosity and its influence when treating AAAs.

Visible-light-driven iron-based heterogeneous photo-Fenton catalysts for wastewater decontamination: A review of recent advances.

Visible-light-driven heterogeneous photo-Fenton process has emerged as the most promising Fenton-derived technology for wastewater decontamination, owing to its prominent superiorities including the potential utilization of clean energy (solar light), and acceleration of ≡Fe(II)/≡Fe(III) dynamic cycle. As the core constituent, catalysts play a pivotal role in the photocatalytic activation of H2O2 to yield reactive oxidative species (ROS). To date, all types of iron-based heterogeneous photo-Fenton catalysts (Fe-HPFCs) have been extensively reported by the scientific community, and exhibited satisfactory catalytic performance towards pollutants decomposition, sometimes even exceeding the homogeneous counterparts (Fe(II)/H2O2). However, the relevant reviews on Fe-HPFCs, especially from the viewpoint of catalyst-self design are extremely limited. Therefore, this state-of-the-art review focuses on the available Fe-HPFCs in literatures, and gives their classification based on their self-characteristics and modification strategies for the first time. Two classes of representative Fe-HPFCs, conventional inorganic semiconductors of Fe-containing minerals and newly emerging Fe-based metal-organic frameworks (Fe-MOFs) are comprehensively summarized. Moreover, three universal strategies including (i) transition metal (TMs) doping, (ii) construction of heterojunctions with other semiconductors or plasmonic materials, and (iii) combination with supporters were proposed to tackle their inherent defects, viz., inferior light-harvesting capacity, fast recombination of photogenerated carriers, slow mass transfer and low exposure and uneven dispersion of active sites. Lastly, a critical emphasis was also made on the challenges and prospects of Fe-HPFCs in wastewater treatment, providing valuable guidance to researchers for the reasonable construction of high-performance Fe-HPFCs.

The Mechanism and Function of miRNA in Intervertebral Disc Degeneration.

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) disease has been considered as the main cause of low back pain (LBP), which is a very common symptom and the leading cause of disability worldwide today. The pathological mechanism of IDD remains quite complicated, and genetic, developmental, biochemical, and biomechanical factors all contribute to the development of the disease. There exists no effective, non-surgical treatment for IDD nowadays, which is largely related to the lack of knowledge of the specific mechanisms of IDD, and the lack of effective specific targets. Recently, non-coding RNA, including miRNA, has been recognized as an important regulator of gene expression. Current studies on the effects of miRNA in IDD have confirmed that a variety of miRNAs play a crucial role in the process of IDD via nucleus pulposus cells (NPC) apoptosis, abnormal proliferation, inflammatory factors, the extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation, and annulus fibrosus (AF) degeneration. In the past 10 years, research on miRNA has been quite active in IDD. This review summarizes the current research progression of miRNA in the IDD and puts forward some prospects and challenges on non-surgical treatment for IDD.

Bimetallic FeNi nanoparticles immobilized by biomass-derived hierarchically porous carbon for efficient removal of Cr(VI) from aqueous solution.

Nano zero-valent iron (nZVI) is an effective material for Cr(VI) treatment, however excessive agglomeration and surface oxidation limit its application. Herein, straw derived hierarchically porous carbon supported FeNi bimetallic nanoparticles (FeNi@HPC) was prepared for effective removal of Cr(VI) from water. FeNi nanoparticles were successfully loaded onto HPC with good dispersibility, and HPC caused an increase in specific surface area of FeNi nanoparticles. FeNi@HPC exhibited a significantly enhanced removal efficiency for Cr(VI) in comparison to Fe@HPC and FeNi NPs. The Ni doping content was further optimized, and the best Ni content in bimetallic NPs was estimated as 10 wt%. The conditions optimal for the activity of FeNi@HPC were assessed, and the highest removal efficiency equivalent to 30 mg L-1 of Cr(VI) was achieved at pH= 4.0 in 360 min with a dosage of 0.5 g L-1. Higher temperatures favored the removal of Cr(VI) and FeNi@HPC manifested the lowest activation energy as compared to Fe@HPC and FeNi NPs. The action mechanisms of FeNi@HPC presumably involved electron transfer from Fe0, Fe2+and atomic hydrogen. This work not only provide a cost-effective and available HPC material to stabilize nZVI but also revealed that using FeNi@HPC is a promising approach for the remediation of water pollution.

The role of soils in regulation of freshwater and coastal water quality.

Water quality regulation is an important ecosystem service function of soil. In this study, the mechanism by which soil regulates water quality was reviewed, and the effects of soil management on water quality were explored. A scientometrics analysis was also conducted to explore the research fields and hotspots of water quality regulation of soil in the past 5 years. This review found that the pollutants entering the soil can be mitigated by precipitation, adsorption and desorption, ion exchange, redox and metabolic decomposition. As an optimal substrate, soil in constructed wetlands has perfect performance in the adsorption and passivation of pollutants such as nitrogen, phosphorus and heavy metals in water, and degradation of pesticides and emerging contaminants. Mangrove wetlands play an important role in coastal zone protection and coastal water quality restoration. However, the excessive application of agricultural chemicals causes soil overload, which leads to the occurrence of agricultural non-point source pollution. Under the dual pressures of climate change and food insecurity in the future, developing environmentally friendly and economically feasible sustainable soil management measures is crucial for maintaining the water purification function of soil by relying on the accurate quantification of soil function based on big data and modelling. This article is part of the theme issue 'The role of soils in delivering Nature's Contributions to People'.

Carbothermal Synthesis of Ni/Fe Bimetallic Nanoparticles Embedded into Graphitized Carbon for Efficient Removal of Chlorophenol.

The reactivity of nanoscale zero-valent iron is limited by surface passivation and particle agglomeration. Here, Ni/Fe bimetallic nanoparticles embedded into graphitized carbon (NiFe@GC) were prepared from Ni/Fe bimetallic complex through a carbothermal reduction treatment. The Ni/Fe nanoparticles were uniformly distributed in the GC matrix with controllable particle sizes, and NiFe@GC exhibited a larger specific surface area than unsupported nanoscale zero-valent iron/nickel (FeNi NPs). The XRD results revealed that Ni/Fe bimetallic nanoparticles embedded into graphitized carbon were protected from oxidization. The NiFe@GC performed excellently in 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (TCP) removal from an aqueous solution. The removal efficiency of TCP for NiFe@GC-50 was more than twice that of FeNi nanoparticles, and the removal efficiency of TCP increased from 78.5% to 94.1% when the Ni/Fe molar ratio increased from 0 to 50%. The removal efficiency of TCP by NiFe@GC-50 can maintain 76.8% after 10 days of aging, much higher than that of FeNi NPs (29.6%). The higher performance of NiFe@GC should be ascribed to the significant synergistic effect of the combination of NiFe bimetallic nanoparticles and GC. In the presence of Ni, atomic H* generated by zero-valent iron corrosion can accelerate TCP removal. The GC coated on the surface of Ni/Fe bimetallic nanoparticles can protect them from oxidation and deactivation.

Efficacy of three-dimensional guide plate technique guided sacral 2 alar iliac screws fixation in patients with degenerative kyphoscoliosis.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the efficacy of three-dimensional (3D) guide plate technique guided sacral 2 alar iliac (S2AI) screws fixation in patients with degenerative kyphoscoliosis. METHODS: Eighty-four patients with degenerative kyphoscoliosis who were admitted to our hospital were selected as the subjects. They were divided into control group and observation group by the random number table method, with 42 patients in each group. S2AI free-hand screw implantation technique was adopted for screws fixation in control group; 3D guide plate technique guided S2AI screw implantation was used for screws fixation in observation group. A 2-year routine follow-up was carried out after the surgery. The followings were compared: screw parameters of preoperative pre-set screw trajectory and postoperative actual screw trajectory: sagittal angle (SA), transverse angle (TA), horizon distance from the entry point to the median sacral crest (HD), vertical distance from the entry point to the superior margin of the second posterior sacral foramina (VD), and the incidence rate of complications; scoliosis Cobb angle, sagittal vertical axis, C7 plumb line-center sacral vertical line (C7PL-CSVL), regional kyphosis Cobb angle (RK), pelvic incidence (PI), and pelvic tilt (PT) before, after and 2 years after surgery; Oswestry disability index (ODI) and shot form 36 health survey questionnaire (SF-36) before and 2 years after surgery. RESULTS: The difference between preoperative simulation and postoperative actual values of SA, TA, HD and VD was significantly lower in observation group than in control group (P<0.001). Scoliosis Cobb angle, lumbar lordosis, C7PL-CSVL, RK, PI and PT after and 2 years after surgery were significantly improved than those before surgery in the two groups (P<0.001), and there was no significant difference between those after surgery and 2 years after surgery (P>0.05). Patients in the two groups had significantly lower ODI scores and higher SF-36 scores at 2 years after surgery than those before surgery (both P<0.001), and there was no significant difference at 2 years after surgery between the two groups (P>0.05). The incidence rate of complications in observation group was significantly smaller than that in control group (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: 3D guide plate technique guided S2AI fixation can significantly increase the accuracy of screw implantation, effectively correct degenerative kyphoscoliosis, achieve rigid internal fixation, improve patient's spinal function and quality of life, and greatly enhance surgical safety, which is worthy of clinical popularization.

The Mechanisms and Functions of GDF-5 in Intervertebral Disc Degeneration.

Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) is widely recognized as the main cause of low back pain, which leads to disability in aging populations and induces great losses both socially and economically worldwide. Unfortunately, current treatments for IDD are aimed at relieving symptoms instead of preserving disc structure and function. Researchers are forged to find new promising biological therapeutics to stop, and even reverse, IVD degeneration. Recently, the injection of growth factors has been shown to be a promising biological therapy for IDD. A number of growth factors have been investigated to modulate the synthesis of the extracellular matrix (ECM) through a variety of pathogenetic biological mechanisms, including suppressing inflammatory process and down-regulating degrading enzymes. However, growth factors, including Transforming Growth Factor-ß (TGF-ß), Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF), and Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1), may induce unwanted blood vessel in-growth, which accelerates the process of IDD. On the contrary, studies have demonstrated that injection of GDF-5 into the intervertebral disc of mice can effectively alleviate the degeneration of the intervertebral disc, which elicits their response via BMPRII and will not induce blood vessel in-growth. This finding suggests that GDF-5 is more suitable for use in IDD treatment compared with the three other growth factors. Substantial evidence has suggested that GDF-5 may maintain the structure and function of the intervertebral disc (IVD). GDF-5 plays an important role in IDD and is a very promising therapeutic agent for IDD. This review is focused on the mechanisms and functions of GDF-5 in IDD.

Changes in surface characteristics and adsorption properties of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol following Fenton-like aging of biochar.

Fenton-like system formed in a natural soil environment deemed to be significant in the aging process of biochar. Aged biochars have distinct physico-chemical and surface properties compared to non-aged biochar. The aged biochar proved to be useful soil amendment due to its improved elements contents and surface properties. The biochar aging process resulted in increased surface area and pore volume, as well as carbon and oxygen-containing functional groups (such as C=O, -COOH, O-C=O etc.) on its surface, which were also associated with the adsorption behavior of 2,4,6-trichlorophenol (2,4,6-TCP). The biochar aging increased the adsorption capacity of 2,4,6-TCP, which was maximum at pH 3.0. The 2,4,6-TCP adsorption capacity of aged-bush biochar (ABB) and aged-peanut shell biochar (APB) was increased by 1.0-11.0% and 7.4-38.8%, respectively compared with bush biochar (BB) and peanut shell biochar (PB) at the same initial concentration of 2,4,6-TCP. All biochars had similar 2,4,6-TCP desorption rates ranging from 33.2 to 73.3% at different sorption temperatures and times. The desorbed components were mainly 2,4,6-TCP and other degraded components, which were low in concentration with small molecule substance. The results indicated that the aged-biochar could be effective for the long-term remediation of naturally organic polluted soils.

Nutrient alterations following biochar application to a Cd-contaminated solution and soil.

Biochars, when applied to contaminated solutions or soils, may sequester potentially toxic elements while releasing necessary plant nutrients. This purpose of this study focused on quantifying both phenomenon following wheat straw (Triticum aestivum L.) biochar application (0, 5, and 15% by wt) to a Cd containing solution and a Cd-contaminated paddy soil using 240-day laboratory batch experiments. Following both experiments, solid phases were analyzed for elemental associations using a combination of wet chemical sequential extractions and synchrotron-based X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). When wheat straw biochar was applied at 15% to Cd containing solutions, Cd and Zn concentrations decreased to below detection in some instances, Ca and Mg concentrations increased by up to 290%, and solution pH increased as compared to the 5% biochar application rate. Similar responses were observed when biochar was added to the Cd-contaminated paddy soil, suggesting that this particular biochar has the ability to sequester potentially toxic elements while releasing necessary plant nutrients to the soil solution. When significant, positive correlations existed between nutrient release over time, while negative correlations were present between biochar application rate, potentially toxic element sorption and pH. The latter suggests that potentially toxic elements were sorbed by a combination of organic functional groups or mineral precipitation based on whether pH was above or below ~ 7. In support of this contention, the wet chemical sequential extraction procedure in conjunction with previously observed Cd or current Zn XAS showed that biochar application promoted the formation of layered double hydroxides, sorption to (oxy)hydroxides, and organically bound to biochar as Zn species. As a multifunctional material, biochar appears to play an important role in sequestering Cd while releasing essential plant nutrients. These findings suggest that biochar may be a 'win-win' for improving environmental quality in potentially toxic element contaminated agroecosystems.

Identification of potential proteases for abdominal aortic aneurysm by weighted gene coexpression network analysis.

Proteases are involved in the degradation of the extracellular matrix (ECM), which contributes to the formation of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA). To identify new disease targets in addition to the results of previous microarray studies, we performed next-generation sequencing (NGS) of the whole transcriptome of Angiotensin II-treated ApoE-/- male mice (n = 4) and control mice (n = 4) to obtain differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Identified DEGs of proteases were analyzed using weighted gene coexpression network analysis (WGCNA). RT-qPCR was conducted to validate the differential expression of selected hub genes. We found that 43 DEGs were correlated with the expression of the protease profile, and most were clustered in immune response module. Among 26 hub genes, we found that Mmp16 and Mmp17 were significantly downregulated in AAA mice, while Ctsa, Ctsc, and Ctsw were upregulated. Our functional annotation analysis of genes coexpressed with the five hub genes indicated that Ctsw and Mmp17 were involved in T cell regulation and Cell adhesion molecule pathway, respectively, and that both were involved in general regulation of the cell cycle and gene expression. Overall, our data suggest that these ectopic genes are potentially crucial to AAA formation and may act as biomarkers for the diagnosis of AAA.

Comparison between surgical fusion and the growing-rod technique for early-onset neurofibromatosis type-1 dystrophic scoliosis.

BACKGROUND: Spinal deformities constitute one of the most common types of manifestations of neurofibromatosis type-1 (NF-1), which can lead to either dystrophic or non-dystrophic early-onset scoliosis (EOS). Surgical treatment for EOS with NF-1 is challenging, and the outcomes have rarely been reported. The anterior-posterior procedure is widely used, but posterior-only fusion is theoretically easier and safer to perform. Is it possible that a new surgery that accommodates growth is a better choice? A direct comparison between posterior fusion and growth-friendly surgery in terms of surgical outcomes has not yet been conducted in dystrophic EOS with NF-1 patients. METHODS: Baseline information was extracted from the NF-1 database at our institute with approval from the local ethics committee. All enrolled patients were diagnosed with NF-1. Clinical and radiographic data were recorded preoperatively, after the initial surgery, and at the final follow-up. Implant-related, alignment, neurological complication and unplanned revision surgery data were recorded. We compared the outcomes of these two groups in terms of curve correction, growth parameters, complications and unplanned revision surgeries. RESULTS: There were eight patients in the PF group and eight patients in the GR group, with a mean follow-up of 51.0 ± 17.5 months. The main curve size was similar (PF 67.38° ± 17.43° versus GR 75.1° ± 26.43°, P = 0.501), and there were no significant differences in the initial surgery correction rate or the rate of correction. However, the patients in the GR group exhibited more T1-S1 growth during the follow-up overall and per year than did those in the PF group. The operative time was significantly longer for the PF group than for the GR group (PF, 4.39 ± 1.38 vs. GR, 3.00 ± 0.42 h; p = 0.008). Significantly fewer segments were involved in the PF group (8.25 ± 3.20) than in the GR group (13.00 ± 1.60). CONCLUSION: For the initial treatment of dystrophic EOS in patients with NF-1, the GR technique is possibly a more appropriate treatment than is the PF technique in terms of trunk growth. However, the repeated procedures required for GR may be a considerable disadvantage. More studies with direct measurement of pulmonary function must be conducted to determine the effect of GR on pulmonary development. More studies with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up periods are needed to fully assess the treatment strategies.

[Methods for Creating Medium and Large Animal Models of Peripheral Atherosclerosis].

Atherosclerosis (AS) is the main pathological basis for the occurrence of many vascular diseases and has a strong association with metabolic syndrome. Peripheral arterial diseases caused by AS have high morbidities and mortalities but lack still effective treatment. AS animal models are highly valuable for research on peripheral arteriosclerotic diseases. While small and medium AS animal models based on high-fat feeding and balloon injuries have been successfully established,few literatures have described the creation of large animal models for AS treatment. This article elucidates the current methods for creating medium and large animal models of peripheral atherosclerotic disease,with an attempt to further promote the clinical translation of AS treatment research.

Simulated photocatalytic aging of biochar in soil ecosystem: Insight into organic carbon release, surface physicochemical properties and cadmium sorption.

Photochemical/photocatalytic reaction, one of the aging pathway of biochar in soil, not only changed the physicochemical properties of biochar, but also affected the migration and transformation of pollutants. Wheat straw biochar was photocatalytic aged in a Fenton-like system using organic acid as buffer solution under light sources, the organic carbon release and surface chemical changes of biochar were investigated to illustrate the adsorption behaviors. With Fe(III) or α-Fe2O3 added, the total organic carbon (TOC) of aged biochar solution was influenced more by buffer system than light sources, with the highest of 420.59 mg L-1 in citric acid system. The production of the hydroxyl radical (OH·) at citric/Fe(III) system was higher than the oxalic/Fe(III) system under the Hg lamp and showed an increasing trend with time. With light exposure, the porous structure of the biochar altered and surface area increased from 7.613 to 29.74 m2 g-1. Meanwhile, the adsorption of cadmium ion by biochar aged in citric/Fe(III) system also showed an increased adsorption capacity with a maximum of 73.54 mg g-1. So, a well understanding of biochar physicochemical properties changes under natural ecosystem was undoubtedly useful for scientific assessment the long-term feasibility of biochar as soil remediation.