Removal of Alternaria mycotoxins exposed to different food components by cold plasma.

Alternariol (AOH) and alternariol monomethyl ether (AME), the two Alternaria mycotoxins with the highest outbreak rates in food systems, could be effectively reduced by cold plasma. This research evaluated the impact of food components on the plasma removal of AOH and AME. The results showed that 6% whey protein or ovalbumin almost completely inhibited the reduction of AOH or AME. Polyphenols inhibited the removal of AOH and AME by up to 90.8% and 83.4%, respectively. Organic acids and Vc reduced AME removal by up to 43.4% and 31.9%, respectively, but had little effect on AOH removal. Sugars and amino acids could decrease both toxin removal by less than 10%. Proteins exhibited the most inhibitory effect on plasma removal of AOH and AME, followed by polyphenols, while the effect of other components was relatively small. AOH and AME removal by cold plasma was highly related to H2O2 produced during plasma discharge.

Complement C3 participates in the function and mechanism of traumatic brain injury at simulated high altitude.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) leads to severe mortality and disability, in which secondary injury induced by complement activation plays an important role. TBI tends to be associated with more severe cerebral edema and worse neurological functional recovery if it occurs in high-altitude areas than in low-altitude areas. However, the underlying mechanism of this difference is unknown. Thus, we used cobra venom factor (CVF) to deplete complement C3 in simulated high-altitude areas to explore whether the differences in outcome at different altitudes are related to secondary injury caused by complement C3. METHODS: The weight-drop model was adopted to induce TBI in rats. Rats were randomly divided into the following groups: sham + saline (sham), high altitude + TBI + saline (HAT), high altitude + TBI + CVF (H-CVF), low altitude + TBI + saline (LAT), and low altitude + TBI + CVF (L-CVF). Brain contusion and edema volumes, brain water content, myelin basic protein (MBP) expression, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a) expression, interleukin 1 beta (IL1B) expression, mortality rate, neurological function, and complement component 3 (C3) mRNA expression were measured by techniques such as Evans blue fluorescence, Perls staining, TUNEL staining, ELISA, immunohistochemistry and Western blotting to evaluate correlations between complement activation and secondary injury. RESULTS: The activation of complement after TBI was significantly higher at high altitude than at low altitude. High-altitude TBI resulted in a leakier blood-brain barrier, more severe cerebral edema and higher mortality than low-altitude TBI did. In addition, high-altitude TBI tended to be associated with more MBP degradation, ferric iron deposition, neuronal apoptosis, and inflammatory factor deposition than low-altitude TBI. All of these effects of TBI were partially reversed by inhibiting complement activation using CVF. CONCLUSION: Our study provided evidence that TBI at high altitude leads to severe edema and high mortality and disability rates. Complement C3 activation is one of the important factors contributing to secondary brain injury.

Edaravone Administration Confers Neuroprotection after Experimental Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Rats via NLRP3 Suppression.

OBJECTIVES: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is one of the leading causes of disability and mortality in adult, which lacks effective therapies. Edaravone has showed its neuroprotective effects after ischemia stroke, but its effects and possible mechanisms after ICH are poorly understood. Here, we investigated whether edaravone confers neuroprotection after ICH in rats and explored the potential mechanisms involved. METHODS: ICH was induced in the right basal ganglia of Sprague-Dawley rats by stereotacticly injection of 200 µl autologous blood. Edaravone (3 mg/kg) or vehicle (saline) was administered intravenously and NLRP3 selective antagonist (MCC950, 10 mg/kg) was intraperitoneally injected to study the potential mechanism. Water Morris Maze Test and Rotarod test were used to elucidate neurological function and Fluoro-Jade C was used to study neurodegeneration after ICH. Western blot assay, Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry were used to check the expression of molecules involved. RESULTS: As a result, we found that edaravone significantly alleviated brain edema and conferred the neurological deficits of rats after ICH. Hematoma increased NLRP3 expression in microglia, which was decreased by edaravone. Moreover, we demonstrated that edaravone shared a similar effect with MCC950 on alleviating neurodegeneration and decreasing the expression of IL-1ß, Caspase 1 and NF-κB in protein or mRNA. Lastly, edaravone and MCC950 both increased the number of Tuj-1 positive neuronal cells peripheral hematoma. CONCLUSIONS: The present study demonstrated that edaravone conducted neuroprotection after ICH partially via suppressing NF-κB-dependent NLRP3 in microglia, which contributed a novel evidence for clinic usage of edaravone after ICH.

Hemoglobin Concentration Affects Hypertensive Basal Ganglia Hemorrhage After Surgery: Correlation Analysis in a High-Altitude Region.

OBJECTIVE: Hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage leads to greater mortality and worse functional outcomes at high altitudes. Experimental studies have suggested that hemoglobin can lead to increased perihemorrhagic edema after intracerebral hemorrhage. METHODS: Patients were divided into a high-hemoglobin (H-H) group (>180 g/L) and a low-hemoglobin (L-H) group (≤180 g/L). The distance from the cortex to the midline was used to indicate the degree of edema. At 1, 7, 14, and 21 days, the patients' status was scored using the Glasgow coma scale, and survival was plotted using Kaplan-Meier survival curves. Pearson correlation analysis showed that the difference between the postoperative and preoperative Glasgow coma scale score correlated with the hemoglobin concentration. The Glasgow outcome scale was used to assess neurological recovery after 6 months. RESULTS: On days 7, 14, and 21, the edema of the H-H group was significantly greater than that of the L-H group (P < 0.01 and P < 0.001, respectively). The edema of the H-H group peaked at 14 and 21 days, but that of the L-H group peaked at 7 days. The hemoglobin concentration and postoperative neurological recovery had a linear relationship in the H-H group. The L-H group had greater survival compared with the H-H group (P < 0.05). The L-H group had higher Glasgow outcome scale scores compared with the H-H group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The hemoglobin concentration affects the mortality and morbidity from hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage in high-altitude regions, and a linear relationship exists between hemoglobin concentration and neurological recovery in the H-H group.

Edaravone Reduces Iron-Mediated Hydrocephalus and Behavioral Disorder in Rat by Activating the Nrf2/HO-1 Pathway.

Our previous studies have demonstrated that hemorrhage-derived iron has a key role in causing brain injury after intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH). Based on this finding, we hypothesized that edaravone, a free-radical scavenger, has the potential to alleviate hydrocephalus and neurological deficits post-IVH by suppressing iron-induced oxidative stress. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the efficacy of edaravone for rats with FeCl3 injection, as well as to explore the related molecular mechanism. An experimental model was established in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats via FeCl3 injection into the right lateral ventricle. Edaravone or vehicle was administered immediately, 1 day and 2 days after intraventricular injection. Brain water content, magnetic resonance imaging, neurological score, oxidative stress assays, Western blot analysis, and electron microscopy were employed to evaluate brain injury in these rats. Intraventricular injection of FeCl3 induced brain edema, ventricular dilation, and neurobehavioral disorder in rats. Edaravone treatment significantly attenuated the above symptoms, reduced ependymal cilia and neuron damage, and inhibited oxidative stress (elevated levels of an antioxidant, superoxide dismutase; decreased levels of an oxidant, malondialdehyde). Moreover, edaravone administration effectively activated the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway in rat brain following FeCl3 injection. These results showed that edaravone treatment alleviated brain edema, ventricular expansion, and neurological disorder after FeCl3 injection. The possible mechanism is by protecting ependymal cilia and neurons from oxidative stress injury and activating the Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway. These results provide further experimental evidence for edaravone application in the treatment of IVH.

Reductive solidification/stabilization of chromate in municipal solid waste incineration fly ash by ascorbic acid and blast furnace slag.

Fly ash is a hazardous byproduct of municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI). Cementitious material that is based on ground-granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) has been tested and proposed as a binder to stabilize Pb, Cd, and Zn in MSWI fly ash (FA). Cr, however, still easily leaches from MSWI FA. Different reagents, such as ascorbic acid (VC), NaAlO2, and trisodium salt nonahydrate, were investigated as potential Cr stabilizers. The results of the toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) showed that VC significantly improved the stabilization of Cr via the reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III). VC, however, could interfere with the hydration process. Most available Cr was transformed into stable Cr forms at the optimum VC content of 2 wt%. Cr leaching was strongly pH dependent and could be represented by a quintic polynomial model. The results of X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive analysis revealed that hollow spheres in raw FA were partially filled with hydration products, resulting in the dense and homogeneous microstructure of the solidified samples. The crystal structures of C-S-H and ettringite retained Zn and Cr ions. In summary, GGBFS-based cementitious material with the low addition of 2 wt% VC effectively immobilizes Cr-bearing MSWI FA.

Comparative study on the mobility and speciation of heavy metals in ashes from co-combustion of sewage sludge/dredged sludge and rice husk.

The co-combustion of sludge (sewage and dredged sludge) with rice husk is expected to become a trend because of its economic and environmental benefits. However, the massive residues from the co-combustion process and the mobility of heavy metals (HMs) warrant special attention. The basic performance and environmental properties of the trace elements (Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ba and Zn) from the co-combustion ashes were studied to promote the further utilization of these materials. These ashes have a shell particle shape, high specific area, high amorphous content and low crystalline phase content. The investigation mainly focused on the environmental properties of these ashes to evaluate the risk of these by-products to the environment. Results show Cu, Mn, and Zn have cumulative leaching concentrations of 1.033, 23.32, and 3.363 mg/L for W, by contrast, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ba, and Zn have cumulative leaching concentrations of 0.488, 0.296, 8.069, 10.44, 2.568, and 2.691 mg/L for H, which are much greater than the Chinese ground water standard (GB/T14848-93). Meanwhile Mn, Zn, Ba, Cr, and Fe all pose a very high risk for H, while Cu only poses a medium risk, and all HMs in W exhibit much lower contamination levels than those in H by the method of risk assessment code (RAC). It indicates that these ashes have undesirably high levels of HMs that demonstrate high mobility and pose environmental risks according to their leachability and chemical speciation. And the HMs in W show lower mobility and environmental hazards than those in H.

A comparison of endogenous processes during anaerobic starvation in anaerobic end sludge and aerobic end sludge from an anaerobic/anoxic/oxic sequencing batch reactor performing denitrifying phosphorus removal.

The endogenous processes in anaerobic end and aerobic end sludge responsible for biological denitrifying phosphorus removal were compared during a 7-d starvation under anaerobic conditions. The results showed that polyphosphate and glycogen were utilized simultaneously to generate maintenance energy for both the anaerobic and aerobic end sludge. During the 7-d starvation, the decay rate of denitrifying-phosphorus-accumulating-organisms (DPAOs) was higher for the aerobic end sludge than for the anaerobic end sludge. More energy was required for maintenance in the aerobic end sludge than for the anaerobic end sludge, with the greater amount of phosphorus release and glycogen degradation occurring in the aerobic end sludge. Moreover, different metabolic pathways for the endogenous processes were observed for the anaerobic and aerobic end sludge. After the 7-d starvation, the activity of DPAOs decreased more for the aerobic end sludge than that for the anaerobic end sludge.

Effect of anaerobic reaction time on denitrifying phosphorus removal and N2O production.

Nitrous oxide (N(2)O) is a highly potent greenhouse gas; however, the characteristics of N(2)O production during denitrification using poly-ß-hydroxyalkanoates (PHA) as a carbon source are not well understood. In this study, effects of anaerobic reaction time (AnRT) on PHA formation, denitrifying phosphorus removal and N(2)O production were investigated using a laboratory-scale anaerobic/anoxic/oxic sequencing batch reactor (An/A/O SBR). The results showed that operation of the An/A/O SBR for 0.78 SRT (47 cycles) after the AnRT was shortened from 90 min to 60 min resulted in anaerobically synthesized PHA improving by 1.8 times. This improvement was accompanied by increased phosphorus removal efficiency and denitrification. Accordingly, the N(2)O-N production was reduced by 6.7 times. Parallel batch experiments were also conducted with AnRTs of 60, 90 and 120 min. All results indicated that in addition to the amount of anaerobically synthesized PHA, the kinetics of PHA degradation also regulated denitrifying phosphorus removal and N(2)O production.

Effect of copper ion on the anaerobic and aerobic metabolism of phosphorus-accumulating organisms linked to intracellular storage compounds.

The shock load effect of heavy metals (Cu (II)) on the behavior of poly-phosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs) was investigated with respect to the transformations of poly-P, intracellular polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) and glycogen. The PAOs biomass was exposed to different concentrations of Cu (II) at various pH and biomass levels. The results showed that when the mixed liquor suspended solid (MLSS) concentration was 2500-4000 mg/L, the P removal was not adversely affected by spiking with 2 mg Cu(2+)/L; however, it deteriorated completely after a Cu (II) shock concentration of 4 mg/L. Nevertheless, the tolerance of PAOs biomass to Cu (II) shock could be enhanced by increasing the MLSS. Moreover, in the presence of 2 mg Cu(2+)/L, the P removal efficiency was highest at an initial pH of 6.2 and lowest at an initial pH of 6.9, indicating that the Cu inhibitory effect was reduced by increasing the pH to 7.6. The inhibition by Cu (II) was related to the transformation of intracellular storage compounds of PAOs. Specifically, poly-P degradation might be inhibited, which reduced the energy available for PHA production and eventually led to poor P removal.