Global, regional and national burdens of Nasopharynx cancer in the adolescents and young adults from 1990 to 2019 and its predictions.

PURPOSE: To use data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study 2019 to report the global, regional and national rates and trends of deaths incidence, prevalence, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for Nasopharynx cancer (NPC) in adolescents and young adults (AYAs). METHODS: Data from the GBD 2019 were used to analyze deaths incidence, prevalence and DALYs due to NPC at global, regional, and national levels. Joinpoint regression analysis was used to calculate the average annual percentage changes (AAPC). The association between incidence, prevalence and DALYs and socioeconomic development was analyzed using the GBD Socio-demographic Index (SDI). Finally, projections were made until 2030 and calculated in Nordpred. RESULTS: The incidence, prevalence, death and DALYs rates (95%UI) due to NPC 0.96 (0.85-1.09, 6.31 (5.54-7.20),0.20 (0.19-0.22), and 12.23(11.27-13.29) in 2019, respectively. From 1990 to 2019, the incidence and prevalence rates increased by 1.79 (95% CI 1.03 to 2.55) and 2.97(95% CI 2.13 to 3.82) respectively while the deaths and DALYs rates declined by 1.64(95%CI 1.78 to 1.49) and 1.6(95%CI 1.75 to 1.4) respectively. Deaths and DALYs rates in South Asia, East Asia, North Africa and Middle East decreased with SDI. Incidence and prevalence rates in East Asia increased with SDI. At the national level, the incidence and prevalence rates are high in China, Taiwan(China), Singapore, Malaysia, Brunel Darussalam, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Malta. Meanwhile, the deaths and DALYs rates are still high in Malaysia, Brunel Darussalam, Greenland and Taiwan(Province of China). The deaths and DALYs rates are low in Honduras, Finland and Norway. From the 2020 to 2030, ASIR、ASPR and ASDR in most regions are predicted to stable, but DALYs tends to decline. CONCLUSION: NPC in AYAs is a significant global public problem. The incidence, prevalence, and DALYs rates vary widely by region and country. Therefore different regions and countries should be targeted to improve the disease burden of NPC.

Causal analysis of body composition measurements in osteoarthritis knee: a two-sample mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: To analyse the causal associations of different physical measures with osteoarthritis knee (KOA). METHODS: Exposure factors (weight, body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, waist circumference, hip circumference, waist-hip ratio (WHR), and basal metabolic rate (BMR)), and outcome factor KOA were analyzed by inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method, along with heterogeneity test, sensitivity and pleiotropy analyses. Meta-analysis was used to combine the effect values of IVW methods in different data sources. RESULTS: Weight, BMI, body fat percentage, waist circumference, hip circumference and BMR analyses showed causal association with increased KOA risk, while WHR analysis indicated a reduction of the incidence of KOA. P-value for all the results was less than 0.05 and F-value large than 20. All results were negative for heterogeneity tests and sensitivity analyses, and there was pleiotropy in weight and BMR. Meta-analysis results showed that the results of Odds Ratios (95% Confidence Intervals) for Weight (1.43(1.35-1.51)), BMI (1.40(1.10-1.78)), body fat percentage (1.56(1.44-1.68)), waist circumference (1.40(1.10-1.78)), hip circumference (1.37(1.30-1.44)), WHR (0.86(0.71-1.04)) and BMR (1.36(1.27-1.46) were consistent with the ones by Mendelian randomization analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Body fat percentage may be a better indicator of KOA than BMI. In addition, weight and BMR may have a causal effect in KOA, but WHR does not have a causal relationship. BMI, body fat percentage, waist circumference, and hip circumference has a causal effect on KOA.

Gut microbiome causal impacts on the prognosis of breast cancer: a Mendelian randomization study.

BACKGROUND: Growing evidence has shown that gut microbiome composition is associated with breast cancer (BC), but the causality remains unknown. We aimed to investigate the link between BC prognosis and the gut microbiome at various oestrogen receptor (ER) statuses. METHODS: We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) to analyse the gut microbiome of BC patients, the dataset for which was collected by the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC). The analysis was executed mainly via inverse variance weighting (IVW); the Mendelian randomization (MR) results were verified by heterogeneity tests, sensitivity analysis, and pleiotropy analysis. RESULTS: Our findings identified nine causal relationships between the gut microbiome and total BC cases, with ten and nine causal relationships between the gut microbiome and ER-negative (ER-) and ER-positive (ER+) BC, respectively. The family Ruminococcaceae and genus Parabacteroides were most apparent among the three categories. Moreover, the genus Desulfovibrio was expressed in ER- BC and total BC, whereas the genera Sellimonas, Adlercreutzia and Rikenellaceae appeared in the relationship between ER + BC and total BC. CONCLUSION: Our MR inquiry confirmed that the gut microbiota is causally related to BC. This further explains the link between specific bacteria for prognosis of BC at different ER statuses. Considering that potential weak instrument bias impacts the findings and that the results are limited to European females due to data constraints, further validation is crucial.

Traditional Patchouli essential oil modulates the host's immune responses and gut microbiota and exhibits potent anti-cancer effects in ApcMin /+ mice.

Patchouli Essential Oil (PEO) has been used as a scent for various healing purposes since the ancient Egyptian period. The primary source of the oil is Pogostemon cablin (PC), a medicinal plant for treating gastrointestinal symptoms. However, the pharmacological function has not been addressed. Here, we report the cancer prevention and gut microbiota (GM) modulating property of PEO and its derivatives patchouli alcohol (PA) and pogostone (PO) in the ApcMin /+ colorectal cancer mice model. We found that PEO, PA, and PO significantly reduced the tumor burden. At the same time, it strengthened the epithelial barrier, evidenced by substantially increasing the number of the goblet and Paneth cells and upregulation of tight junction and adhesion molecules. In addition, PEO, PA, and PO shifted M1 to M2 macrophage phenotypes and remodeled the inflammatory milieu of ApcMin /+ mice. We also found suppression of CD4+CD25+ and stimulation CD4+ CD8+ cells in the spleen, blood, mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs), and Peyer's patches (PPs) of the treated mice. The composition of the gut microbiome of the drug-treated mice was distinct from the control mice. The drugs stimulated the short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)-producers and the key SCFA-sensing receptors (GPR41, GPR43, and GPR109a). The activation of SCFAs/GPSs also triggered the alterations of PPAR-γ, PYY, and HSDCs signaling mediators in the treated mice. Our work showed that PEO and its derivatives exert potent anti-cancer effects by modulating gut microbiota and improving the intestinal microenvironment of the ApcMmin /+ mice.

Fatty acid profiles of milk from Holstein cows, Jersey cows, buffalos, yaks, humans, goats, camels, and donkeys based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Due to the diversity and limitation of determination methods, published data on the fatty acid (FA) compositions of different milk samples have contributed to inaccurate comparisons. In this study, we developed a high-throughput gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method to determinate milk FA, and the proposed method had satisfactory linearity, sensitivity, accuracy, and precision. We also analyzed the FA compositions of 237 milk samples from Holstein cows, Jersey cows, buffalos, yaks, humans, goats, donkeys, and camels. Holstein, Jersey, goat, and buffalo milks contained high content of even-chain saturated FA, whereas goat milk had higher content of medium- and short-chain FA (MSCFA). Yak and camel milk are potential functional foods due to their high levels of odd- and branched-chain FA and low ratios of n-6 to n-3 polyunsaturated FA (PUFA). Human milk contained lower levels of saturated FA, MSCFA, and conjugated linoleic acid, and higher levels of monounsaturated FA and PUFA. As a special nonruminant milk, donkey milk contained low levels of monounsaturated FA and high levels of PUFA and MSCFA. Based on the FA profiles of 8 types of milk, nonruminant milk was distinct from ruminant milk, whereas camel and yak milk were different from other ruminant milks and considered as potential functional foods for balanced human diet.

Protective Effect of the Pearl Extract from Pinctada fucata martensii Dunker on UV-Induced Photoaging in Mice.

Although the effect of pearl powder has been recognized for more than a thousand years from healthcare to beauty care, there has yet to be an in-depth understanding of its anti-photoaging effect. In the present study, the protective effect of pearl extract (PE) on UV-induced photoaging in mice was evaluated. First, the amino acid analysis of PE was carried out. Then, different dosages of pearl extract gel (PEG) were applied topically on the shaved dorsal skins regions of mice before UV irradiation. Skin physiological and histological analysis, antioxidant enzymes and inflammatory factor test were used to evaluate the anti-photoaging effect of PEG. The results showed that PEG contained 14 amino acids, and could inhibit UV-irritated skin wrinkles, laxity, thickness, and dryness. Moreover, PEG upregulated the activities of CAT, GSH-Px, SOD and decreased MDA level, and suppressed the production of IL-1ß, IL-6, PGE2 , TNF-α, and COX-2 in UV-irradiated mice. The therapeutic effect in high dose PEG group was superior to those of positive control (Vitamin E). This study demonstrated the underlying mechanisms of PEG against UV-irritated photoaging. And PEG possesses a potential use in photoprotective medicines and cosmetics.

Loss of bioactive microRNAs in cow's milk by ultra-high-temperature treatment but not by pasteurization treatment.

BACKGROUND: Milk microRNA (miRNA) with bioactivity is beneficial for human health. However, the effect of heat treatment on miRNA in milk is still not clear. In this study, the miRNAs in raw (RM), pasteurized (PM) and ultra-high-temperature (UHT) milk (UM) from the same batch were extracted, sequenced and analyzed. RESULTS: The results showed that there was a significant difference in miRNAs between RM and UM, but not between RM and PM. The total read counts of milk miRNAs were significantly decreased by heat treatment, with the least counts in UM (P < 0.05). The average length and GC percentage of miRNAs were significantly reduced by heat treatment (P < 0.05), while there was no significant difference in these terms between RM and PM. The content of miRNAs was verified by qPCR, finding that miR-17-5p, miR-25, miR-27b and miR-9-5p were significantly reduced in UM (P < 0.05) but not significantly affected in PM (except miR-27b). In addition, the targeting gene ontology enrichment functions of the different presented miRNAs were mostly enriched in biological process, cellular component and molecular function. The top 20 enriched miRNAs with different levels in heat-treated milk were identified by the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis. Interestingly, most of the functions of these miRNA targeting genes are involved in cancer or inflammation activity. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that the bioactive miRNA in RM was lost after UHT treatment but not in pasteurized treatment. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Icariin enhances youth-like features by attenuating the declined gut microbiota in the aged mice.

We previously reported the neuroprotective effects of icariin in rat cortical neurons. Here, we present a study on icariin's anti-aging effect in 24-month aged mice by treating them with a single daily dose of 100 mg/kg of icariin for 15 consecutive days. Icariin treatment improved motor coordination and learning skills while lowered oxidative stress biomarkers in the serum, brain, kidney, and liver of the aged mice. In addition, icariin improved the intestinal integrity of the aged mice by upregulating tight junction adhesion molecules and the Paneth and goblet cells, along with the reduction of iNOS and pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1ß, TNF-α, IL-2 and IL-6, and IL-12). Icariin treatments also significantly upregulated aging-related signaling molecules, Sirt 1, 3 & 6, Pot1α, BUB1b, FOXO1, Ep300, ANXA3, Calb1, SNAP25, and BDNF in old mice. Through gut microbiota (GM) analysis, we observed icariin-associated improvements in GM composition of aged mice by reinstating bacteria found in the young mice, while suppressing some bacteria found in the untreated old mice. To clarify whether icariin's anti-aging effect is rooted in the GM, we performed fecal microbiota transfer (FMT) from icariin-treated old mice to the old mice. FMT-recipients exhibited similar improvements in the rotarod score and age-related biomarkers as observed in the icariin-treated old mice. Equal or better improvement on the youth-like features was noticed when aged mice were FMT with feces from young mice. Our study shows that both direct treatments with icariin and fecal transplant from the icariin-treated aged mice produce similar anti-aging phenotypes in the aged mice. We prove that GM plays a pivotal role in the healing abilities of icariin. Icariin has the potentials to be developed as a medicine for the wellness of the aged adults.

A quantitative exploration of symptoms in COVID-19 patients: an observational cohort study.

Background: As the spreading of the COVID-19 around the global, we investigated the characteristics and changes of symptoms in COVID-19 patients. Methods: This was an ambispective observational cohort study, and 133 confirmed COVID-19 patients were included and all symptoms over the course were analyzed qualitatively. The symptoms, their changes over the course in the cohort and in the different clinical types, etc. were illustrated. Differences in different periods and severities were analyzed through Chi square test, association with severity was analyzed through LASSO binomial logistic regression analysis. Inter-correlation and classification of symptoms were completed. Major symptoms were screened and their changes were illustrated. Results: A total of 43 symptoms with frequencies as 6067 in this cohort. Differences of symptoms in different stages and clinical types were significant. Expectoration, shortness of breath, dyspnea, diarrhea, poor appetite were positively but vomiting, waist discomfort, pharyngeal discomfort, acid reflux were negatively correlated with the combined-severe and critical type; dyspnea was correlated with the critical type. The 17 major symptoms were identified. The average daily frequency of symptoms per case was decreased continuously before the transition into the severe type and increased immediately one day before the transition and then decreased. It was decreased continuously before the transition date of the critical type and increased from the transition into the critical type to the next day and decreased thereafter. Dyspnea (P<0.001), shortness of breath (P<0.01) and chest distress (P<0.05) were correlated with death and their corresponding coefficient was 0.393, 0.258, 0.214, respectively. Conclusion: The symptoms of COVID-19 patients mainly related to upper respiratory tract infection, cardiopulmonary function, and digestive system. The mild type and the early stage in other types mainly related to upper respiratory tract infection. The cardiopulmonary function and digestive system associated symptoms were found in all other types and stages. Dyspnea was correlated with critical type, and dyspnea, shortness of breath and chest distress were correlated with death. Respiratory dysfunction (or incompleteness) associated symptoms were the characteristic symptoms. The changes of symptoms did not synchronously with the changes of severity before the transition into the severe or critical type.

Features of α-HBDH in COVID-19 patients: A cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has spread all over the world and brought extremely huge losses. At present, there is a lack of study to systematically analyze the features of hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase (α-HBDH) in COVID-19 patients. METHODS: Electronic medical records including demographics, clinical manifestation, α-HBDH results and outcomes of all included patients were extracted. RESULTS: α-HBDH in COVID-19 group was higher than that in excluded group (p < 0.001), and there was no significant difference in α-HBDH before and after the exclusion of 5 patients with comorbidity in heart or kidney (p = 0.671). In COVID-19 group, the α-HBDH value in ≥61 years old group, severe group, and critical group, death group all increased at first and then decreased, while no obvious changes were observed in other groups. And there were significant differences of the α-HBDH value among different age groups (p < 0.001), clinical type groups (p < 0.001), and outcome groups (p < 0.001). The optimal scale regression model showed that α-HBDH value (p < 0.001) and age (p < 0.001) were related to clinical type. CONCLUSIONS: α-HBDH was increased in COVID-19 patients, obviously in ≥61 years old, death and critical group, indicating that patients in these three groups suffer from more serious heart and kidney and other tissues and organs damage, higher α-HBDH value, and risk of death. The difference between death and survival group in early stage might provide a approach to judge the prognosis. The accuracy of the model to distinguish severe/critical type and other types was 85.84%, suggesting that α-HBDH could judge the clinical type accurately.

Bi-directional and temporal relationship between elevated alanine aminotransferase and hypertension in a longitudinal study of Chinese adults.

OBJECTIVE: Despite the strong correlation between elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and hypertension, their bi-directional and temporal relationship are currently unclear. Our study aimed to explore the bi-directional and temporal association between elevated ALT (ALT > 40 U/L) and hypertension. METHODS: Measurements of alanine aminotransferase and blood pressure were obtained twice from 2013 to 2017 in 3314 Chinese adults without cardiovascular disease at baseline. Bi-directional and cross-lagged panel analyses were performed to dissect the temporal relationship between elevated ALT and hypertension. RESULTS: Longitudinally, we found that baseline elevated ALT was strongly correlated with incident hypertension (odds ratios = 2.16, P = .001), and baseline hypertension was also significantly associated with incident elevated ALT (odds ratios = 1.64, P = .026). The cross-lagged path coefficients from baseline ALT to follow-up blood pressure were significantly greater than that from baseline blood pressure to follow-up ALT (ß: 0.043 vs. 0.026, P < .05 for systolic blood pressure and ß: 0.052 vs. 0.024, P < .05 for diastolic blood pressure). CONCLUSION: Our results provide evidence for the bi-directional association of elevated ALT and hypertension among Chinese adults, and elevated ALT probably antedates the development of hypertension.

Insights into pH-dependent transformation of gibberellic acid in aqueous solution: Transformation pathway, mechanism and toxicity estimation.

Gibberellic acid (GA3) is widely used in agriculture and maybe transfer with groundwater flow, which is an endocrine disruptor, but few studies have focused on the transformation pathway and toxicity assessment of GA3 and its products. Here, GA3 and its transformation products in aqueous solution were identified and quantified by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry hybrid ion trap time-of-flight (LCMS-IT-TOF) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), respectively. The results showed that the half-life of GA3 transformation in ultrapure water was 16.1-24.6 days at pH=2.0-8.0, with the lowest half-life occurring at pH=8.0 and highest half-life occurring at pH=3.3. Isomerized gibberellic acid (Iso-GA3) and gibberellenic acid (GEA) were the main transformation products with a little hydroxy gibberellic acid (OH-GA3). In North China groundwater, the mass balance of GA3 and its products was 76.2%, including Iso-GA3 (58%), GEA (7.9%), GA3 (7.3%) and OH-GA3 (3%) after reaching transformation equilibrium. Using Gaussian 09 for chemical computation, it was found that the transformation mechanism of GA3 was dependent upon the bond energy and the stereochemical feature of its molecular structure. GA3 always isomerized from the γ-lactone ring due to the lowest bond energy between the oxygen terminus of the γ-lactone ring and A ring. While GA3 and its transformation products all had developmental toxicity, the predicated LC50 (96 hr) and LD50 of the main products of GA3 were much lower than those of GA3, indicating GA3 would be transformed into higher toxicity derivatives in water environments, posing a significant health risk to humans and the environment.

Adaptogenic flower buds exert cancer preventive effects by enhancing the SCFA-producers, strengthening the epithelial tight junction complex and immune responses.

Microbiome therapy has attracted a keen interest from both research and business sectors. Our lab has been applying this "second genome" platform to assess the functionality of herbal medicines with fulfilling results. In this study, we applied this platform to assess the potential cancer-preventive effects of three selected adaptogenic plants. The flower buds from these plants were used to constitute Preparations SL and FSP according to the receipts of two commonly consumed Chinese medicinal decoctions for gastrointestinal discomfort. Preparation SL contains Sophorae japonica and Lonicerae Japonicae, and Preparation FSP contains Sophorae japonica and Gardenia Jasminoides. SL and FSP extracts significantly (p < 0.001) lowered the polyp burden, as well as the expressions of oncogenic signaling molecules, such as MAPK/ERK, PI3K/AKT, and STAT3 in ApcMin/+ mice. The inflamed gut was alleviated by shifting M1 to M2 macrophage phenotypes and the associated immune cytokines. The other remarkable change was on the extracellular tight junction protein complex, where the occludin, ZO-1, ICAM-1, E-cadherin were significantly (p < 0.05) upregulated while the N-cadherin and ß-catenin were downregulated in the treated mice. The above physiological changes in the gut epithelial barrier were companied with the changes in gut microbiome. The 16S Sequencing data revealed a marked decrease in the potential pathogens (especially Helicobacter species and hydrogen sulfide producing-bacteria) and the increase in beneficial bacteria (especially for species from the genera of Akkermansia, Barnesiella, Coprococcus, Lachnoclostridium, and Ruminococcus). The majority of which were the short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) producers. Meanwhile SCFAs-sensing G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), including GPR41, GPR43, and GPR109a were also significantly upregulated. In a recent report, we proved that the bacteria-derived SCFAs plays an essential role to the anti-cancer effects of the mushroom polysaccharides and saponins in ApcMin/+ mice. In this study, we further demonstrated that butyrate treatment could enhance the extracellular tight junction protein complex as effective as the treatments with SL and FSP to the ApcMin/+ mice. Our findings provide strong evidence of the vital role of the SCFA-producers and their metabolites to the cancer-preventive properties of the SL and FSP preparations.

Modulation activity of heat-treated and untreated lactoferrin on the TLR-4 pathway in anoxia cell model and cerebral ischemia reperfusion mouse model.

This study aimed to investigate the modulation activity of heated and nonheated lactoferrins in an inflammatory pathway in anoxia and reoxygenation cell and cerebral ischemic reperfusion mouse models. Rat pheochromocytoma 12 (PC-12) cells were subjected to oxygen and glucose deprivation in vitro to construct an anoxia and reoxygenation cell model, and Institute for Cancer Research (ICR) mice were given carotid artery "ligation-relaxation" in vivo to construct a cerebral ischemic reperfusion mouse model. The protein levels of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4) and downstream inflammatory proteins including nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and IL-1ß were detected. Meanwhile, metabonomic detection of overall metabolites of PC-12 cells was performed to screen out the specific changed metabolite affected by lactoferrin at the condition of anoxia and reoxygenation. The results showed that lactoferrin could inhibit the TLR-4-related pathway triggered by anoxia and reoxygenation and ischemic reperfusion. A total of 41 significantly changed metabolites were identified by metabonomic analysis, and glutathione was seen as a metabolite of interest in suppressing TLR-4-related pathway in anoxia and reoxygenation cell models. However, heated lactoferrin lost the ability of attenuating the TLR-4-related pathway. The loss of modulation activity of heated lactoferrin might be due to its protein aggregation, which was evidenced by larger average particle diameter than the unheated lactoferrin. This study is the first to investigate the effect of heat treatment on the modulation activity of lactoferrin in the TLR-4-related pathway in anoxia and reoxygenation cell and cerebral ischemic reperfusion mouse models, and indicate that lactoferrin may serve as a dietary intervention for cerebral ischemia.

Mushroom polysaccharides and jiaogulan saponins exert cancer preventive effects by shaping the gut microbiota and microenvironment in ApcMin/+ mice.

The incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC) is alarming among younger peoples. While no effective chemopreventive drug available in the market, researchers have been searching for alternative strategies against CRC that are in demand. Therefore, we tested the cancer-preventive properties of Ganoderma lucidum (Lingzhi) polysaccharides (GLP), along with the saponins extracted from Gynostemma pentaphyllum (GpS), an herbal tea with prebiotic-like effects. Here, we report that saponins from Gynostemma pentaphyllum (GpS) and polysaccharides from Ganoderma lucidum (GLP together with GpS) profoundly improved the inflamed gut barrier of ApcMin/+ mice by reducing polyps, shifting colonic M1 to M2 macrophages, positively reverting E-cadherin/N-cadherin ratio, and downregulating oncogenic signaling molecules. The treatments also markedly promoted short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)-producing bacteria and abridged sulfate-reducing bacteria in a time-dependent manner. G-protein coupled-receptors were significantly stimulated in the treated mice, accompanied by the modulated expressions of histone deacetylases, anti-cancer gut hormone PYY, and PPAPγ. These findings suggest that some of the herbal medicinal foods could modulate the relationship between the host and the gut microbiota (GM) to exert their beneficial properties to the host. Our study also implicates that these dietary mushroom polysaccharides and the Gp saponins have the potential to be developed as new preventive medicines against CRC.

Polarity-Tuning Derivatization-LC-MS Approach for Probing Global Carboxyl-Containing Metabolites in Colorectal Cancer.

Carboxyl-containing metabolites (CCMs) widely exist in living systems and are the essential components for life. Global characteristics of CCMs in biological samples are critical for the understanding of physiological processes and the discovery for the onset of relevant diseases. However, their determination represents a challenge due to enormous polarity differences, structural diversity, high structural similarity, and poor ionization efficiency in mass spectrometry. Herein, 5-(diisopropylamino)amylamine (DIAAA) derivatization coupled with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was developed for mapping the CCMs. With this methodology, the sensitivity was significantly enhanced. More importantly, the hydrophobicity of polar CCMs, amino acids, TCA cycle intermediates, and short-chain fatty acids and the hydrophilicity of low-polar CCMs, long-chain fatty acids, and bile acids were significantly increased, resulting in a remarkable separation efficiency for which 68 CCMs can be simultaneously determined. Furthermore, the polarity-tuning effect was confirmed to be induced by the different impacts of aliphatic chains and nitrogen atom in DIAAA, the latter existing as a cation in the acidic mobile phase, using different derivatization reagents. Finally, this derivatization method was utilized to hunt for the potential biomarkers in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients and 52 CCMs, related with several key metabolic pathways, including amino acids metabolism, TCA cycle, fatty acid metabolism, pyruvate metabolism, and gut flora metabolism were identified. This innovative polarity-tuning derivatization-LC-MS approach was proved to be a valuable tool for probing global metabolome with high separation efficiency and sensitivity in various biological samples.

Removal of ammonium-nitrogen from groundwater using a fully passive permeable reactive barrier with oxygen-releasing compound and clinoptilolite.

A novel fully passive permeable reactive barrier (PRB) with oxygen-releasing compound (ORC) and clinoptilolite was proposed for the removal of ammonium-nitrogen from groundwater. The PRB involves a combination of oxygen release, biological nitrification, ion exchange, and bioregeneration. A pilot-scale performance comparison experiment was carried out employing three parallel columns to assess the proposed PRB. The results showed that the PRB achieved nearly complete [Formula: see text] depletion (>99%). [Formula: see text] of 5.23-10.88 mg/L was removed, and [Formula: see text] of <1.93 mg/L and [Formula: see text] of 2.03-19.67 mg/L were generated. Ion exchange and biological nitrification both contributed to [Formula: see text] removal, and the latter played a dominant role under the condition of sufficient oxygen. Biological nitrification favored a delay in sorption saturation and a release of exchange sites. The ORC could sufficiently, efficiently supply oxygen for approximately 120 pore volumes. The clinoptilolite ensured a robust [Formula: see text] removal in case of temporary insufficient biological activities. No external alkalinity sources had to be supplied and no inhibition of aerobic metabolism occurred. The ceramicite had a negligible effect on the biomass growth. Based on the research findings, a full-scale continuous wall PRB was installed in Shenyang, China in 2012.

Laboratory column study for evaluating a multimedia permeable reactive barrier for the remediation of ammonium contaminated groundwater.

In order to remediate ammonium contaminated groundwater, an innovative multimedia permeable reactive barrier (M-PRB) was proposed, which consisted of sequential columns combining oxygen releasing compound (ORC), zeolite, spongy iron and pine bark in the laboratory scale. Results showed that both ammonium and nitrate could be reduced to levels below the regulatory discharge limits through ion exchange and microbial degradation (nitrification and denitrification) in different compartments of the M-PRB system. The concentration of dissolved oxygen (DO) increased from 2 to above 20 mg/L after the simulated groundwater flowed through the oxygen releasing column packed with ORC, demonstrating that ORC could supply sufficient oxygen for subsequent microbial nitrification. Ammonium was efficiently removed from about 10 to below 0.5 mg N/L in the aerobic reaction column which was filled with biological zeolite. After 54 operating days, more than 70% ammonium could be removed by microbial nitrification in the aerobic reaction column, indicating that the combined use of ion exchange and nitrification by biological zeolite could ensure high and sustainable ammonium removal efficiency. To avoid the second pollution of nitrate produced by the former nitrification, spongy iron and pine bark were used to remove oxygen and supply organic carbon for heterotrophic denitrification in the oxygen removal column and anaerobic reaction column separately. The concentration of nitrate decreased from 14 to below 5 mg N/L through spongy iron-based chemical reduction and microbial denitrification.

Ammonium removal from groundwater using a zeolite permeable reactive barrier: a pilot-scale demonstration.

In situ remediation of ammonium-contaminated groundwater is possible through a zeolite permeable reactive barrier (PRB); however, zeolite's finite sorption capacity limits the long-term field application of PRBs. In this paper, a pilot-scale PRB was designed to achieve sustainable use of zeolite in removing ammonium (NH(4)(+)-N) through sequential nitrification, adsorption, and denitrification. An oxygen-releasing compound was added to ensure aerobic conditions in the upper layers of the PRB where NH(4)(+)-N was microbially oxidized to nitrate. Any remaining NH(4)(+)-N was removed abiotically in the zeolite layer. Under lower redox conditions, nitrate formed during nitrification was removed by denitrifying bacteria colonizing the zeolite. During the long-term operation (328 days), more than 90% of NH(4)(+)-N was consistently removed, and approximately 40% of the influent NH(4)(+)-N was oxidized to nitrate. As much as 60% of the nitrate formed in the PRB was reduced in the zeolite layer after 300 days of operation. Removal of NH(4)(+)-N from groundwater using a zeolite PRB through bacterial nitrification and abiotic adsorption is a promising approach. The zeolite PRB has the advantage of achieving sustainable use of zeolite and immediate NH(4)(+)-N removal.