High expression of SULF1 is associated with adverse prognosis in breast cancer brain metastasis.

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women, and in advanced stages, it often metastasizes to the brain. However, research on the biological mechanisms of breast cancer brain metastasis and potential therapeutic targets are limited. METHODS: Differential gene expression analysis (DEGs) for the datasets GSE43837 and GSE125989 from the GEO database was performed using online analysis tools such as GEO2R and Sangerbox. Further investigation related to SULF1 was conducted using online databases such as Kaplan-Meier Plotter and cBioPortal. Thus, expression levels, variations, associations with HER2, biological processes, and pathways involving SULF1 could be analyzed using UALCAN, cBioPortal, GEPIA2, and LinkedOmics databases. Moreover, the sensitivity of SULF1 to existing drugs was explored using drug databases such as RNAactDrug and CADSP. RESULTS: High expression of SULF1 was associated with poor prognosis in advanced breast cancer brain metastasis and was positively correlated with the expression of HER2. In the metastatic breast cancer population, SULF1 ranked top among the 16 DEGs with the highest mutation rate, reaching 11%, primarily due to amplification. KEGG and GSEA analyses revealed that the genes co-expressed with SULF1 were positively enriched in the 'ECM-receptor interaction' gene set and negatively enriched in the 'Ribosome' gene set. Currently, docetaxel and vinorelbine can act as treatment options if the expression of SULF1 is high. CONCLUSIONS: This study, through bioinformatics analysis, unveiled SULF1 as a potential target for treating breast cancer brain metastasis (BM).

Conditional knockout of the NSD2 gene in mouse intestinal epithelial cells inhibits colorectal cancer progression.

BACKGROUND: Nuclear receptor-binding SET domain 2 (NSD2) is a histone methyltransferase, that catalyzes dimethylation of lysine 36 of histone 3 (H3K36me2) and is associated with active transcription of a series of genes. NSD2 is overexpressed in multiple types of solid human tumors and has been proven to be related to unfavorable prognosis in several types of tumors. METHODS: We established a mouse model in which the NSD2 gene was conditionally knocked out in intestinal epithelial cells. We used azoxymethane and dextran sodium sulfate to chemically induce murine colorectal cancer. The development of colorectal tumors were investigated using post-necropsy quantification, immunohistochemistry, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). RESULTS: Compared with wild-type (WT) control mice, NSD2fl/fl -Vil1-Cre mice exhibited significantly decreased tumor numbers, histopathological changes, and cytokine expression in colorectal tumors. CONCLUSIONS: Conditional knockout of NSD2 in intestinal epithelial cells significantly inhibits colorectal cancer progression.

ß-Cyclodextrin functionalized magnetic polyamine-amine dendrimers for high enrichment and effective analysis of trace bisphenolic pollutants in beverages.

Bisphenols (BPs) are typical endocrine disruptors, which can cause great effects on environmental, organisms and human health. In this study, ß-Cyclodextrin (ß-CD) functionalized polyamidoamine dendrimers-modified Fe3O4 nanomaterials (MNPs@PAMAM (G3.0)@ß-CD) were facilely synthesized. It exhibited good adsorption capacities for BPs, which was utilized to construct a sensitive tool in combination with high performance liquid chromatography for monitoring BPs such as bisphenol A (BPA), tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA), bisphenol S (BPS), bisphenol AF (BPAF) and bisphenol AP (BPAP) in beverage samples. The factors affecting the enrichment were examined such as generation of adsorbent, dosage of adsorbent, type and volume of eluting solvent, elution time and pH value of sample solution. The optimal parameters for enrichment was as follows: dosage of adsorbent, 60 mg; adsorption time, 50min; sample pH, pH7; elutent, 9 mL mixture of methanol and acetone(1:1); elution time, 6min; sample volume, 60 mL. The experimental results demonstrated that the adsorption conformed to pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir adsorption isotherm model. The results showed the maximum adsorption capacities of BPS, TBBPA, BPA, BPAF and BPAP were 131.80 µgg-1, 139.84 µgg-1, 157.08 µgg-1, 142.11 µgg-1 and 134.23 µgg-1, respectively. Under optimal conditions, BPS had good linear relationship over range from of 0.5-300 µgL-1, and the linear ranges of BPA, TBBPA, BPAF and BPAP ranged from 0.1 to 300 µgL-1. The limits of detection (S/N = 3) for BPs were good in range of 0.016-0.039 µgL-1. The spiked recoveries of target bisphenols (BPs) in beverages were approving over range from 92.3% to 99.2%. The established method possessed merits of easy to operate, good sensitivity, rapidness as well as environmental friendliness, and which earned great application potential for the enrichment and detection of trace BPs in practical samples.

Transformation of dissolved organic matter at a full-scale petrochemical wastewater treatment plant.

Transformation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in petrochemical wastewater (PCW) treatment has rarely been studied. In this work, low- and high-salinity PCW were collected from a treatment plant and the transformations of DOM at molecular level along the treatment processes of both PCW were comparatively investigated. By using Orbitrap MS, the polar DOM constituents were categorized into five molecular classes namely saturated compounds, aliphatics, highly unsaturated and phenolic compounds (Huph), polyphenols and condensed polycyclic aromatics (Cpla). Aliphatics (58.62%) with low molecular weight (150-250 Da) and O/C (0-0.2) were dominant in raw low-salinity PCW; while Huph (65.03%) with O/C at 0.2-0.8 were rich in raw high-salinity PCW. After full-scale treatment, differentiated DOM constituents in both raw PCWs were transformed into aliphatics and Huph with O/C at 0.3-0.5. Anoxic/Oxic treatment of low-salinity system (L-A/O) removed a high fraction of aliphatics (53.05%); while Huph with low O/C (0.1-0.3) (65.68%) in the effluent of L-A/O were further mineralized by ozonation of low-salinity system (L-ozonation). In comparison, anoxic/oxic treatment of high-salinity system (H-A/O) mainly removed unsaturated Huph (34.10%) and aliphatics (30.86%). This resulted in a decrease of dissolved organic carbon as indicated via Spearman correlation. Different from L-ozonation, ozonation of high-salinity system (H-ozonation) degraded aliphatics (26.09%) and Huph (41.85%) with a relatively high O/C (0.2-1.2). After L-A/O and L-ozonation treatments, remaining saturated compounds that were originated from raw low-salinity PCW, were removed by subsequent biological aerated filter. Comparatively, after H-A/O and H-ozonation treatments, residual Huph and aliphatics which were mainly bio-derivates and ozonated intermediates, were further removed by air flotation filter. Hence, DOM transformation of different PCWs along similar treatments varied significantly. This study provides in-depth insights on DOM transformation along a full-scale PCW treatment process.

Economic impact of powered stapler in video-assisted thoracic surgery lobectomy for lung Cancer in a Chinese tertiary hospital: a cost-minimization analysis.

BACKGROUND: To assess the economic impact of powered stapler use in video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) lobectomy for lung cancer in a Chinese tertiary care hospital. METHODS: This study identified 388 patients who received VATS lobectomy using the ECHELON powered stapler (n = 296) or the ECHELON manual stapler (n = 92) for lung cancer in a Chinese tertiary hospital. Multiple generalized linear regression analyses were conducted using data on hospital costs and patient characteristics to develop predictive equations for hospital costs in a cost-minimization analysis (CMA) model comparing hospital costs associated with the ECHELON powered stapler and the ECHELON manual stapler. CMA model was used to conduct scenario analysis to compare the ECHELON powered stapler with another manual stapler (Victor Medical). RESULTS: The multiple generalized linear regression analyses identified that using the ECHELON powered stapler in VATS lobectomy for lung cancer was associated with significantly lower drug costs than using the ECHELON manual stapler (coefficient - 0.256, 95% confidence interval: - 0.375 to - 0.139). The CMA model estimated that the ECHELON powered stapler could save hospital costs by ¥1653 when compared with the ECHELON manual stapler (¥65,531 vs. ¥67,184). The use of the ECHELON powered stapler also saved hospital costs by ¥4411 when compared with the Victor Medical manual stapler (¥65,531 vs. ¥69,942) in the scenario analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to the two manual staplers used for VATS lobectomy for lung cancer in a Chinese tertiary hospital, the ECHELON powered stapler had 100% probability to save total hospital costs under present prices of the three staplers according to the CMA.

Influences of integrated coagulation-ozonation pretreatment on the characteristics of dissolved organic pollutants (DOPs) of heavy oil electric desalting wastewaters.

The quality of heavy oil electric desalting wastewaters (HO-EDWs) affects the effectiveness of refinery wastewater treatment plants. In this study, an integrated coagulation-ozonation (ICO) process was used to pretreat HO-EDWs and the influences on the characteristics of dissolved organic pollutants (DOPs) were investigated. Coagulation using aluminum sulfate removed 39% of soluble chemical oxygen demand (SCOD), 21% of dissolved organic carbon (DOC), 57% of petroleum hydrocarbons and 38% of polar oils from Liaohe HO-EDWs and the biodegradability was greatly improved. Ozonation removed 33% of SCOD and 88% of polar oils from the coagulated HO-EDWs. Most species of aromatic compounds, phenols, aliphatic acids, anilines and naphthenic acids with high C numbers and ring numbers were degraded and the unsaturation degrees of DOPs significantly decreased under ozonation. As a result, the biodegradability was further improved and the acute toxicity towards Vibrio fischeri was substantially reduced. Some OxS1 species and organic nitrogen compounds in HO-EDWs were penetrated through ozonation and caused the residual biotoxicity. The results demonstrate the potential of ICO pretreatment for improving the quality of refractory HO-EDWs.

Influences of humic-rich natural materials on efficiencies of UASB reactor: A comparative study.

Two humic-rich natural materials namely peat soil and lignite were supplemented in up-flow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) bioreactors for the treatment of phenolic wastewater. Peat soil improved phenol degradation and resistance to shock load; ultimately, contributing to higher COD removal efficiency (83.3%), methane production (4532 mL d-1), and better reactor's stability. Accordingly, the amount of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) and coenzyme F420 in sludge were increased to 1.3-fold and 2.5-fold, respectively, as compared to the control treatment. The addition of lignite however displayed poor phenol degradation and no effects on the secretion of EPS and F420. The peat soil significantly influenced the microbial community structures, whereas the effect of lignite was inconspicuous. In the presence of peat soil, the abundance of syntrophic fermentation bacteria and methanogens was significantly increased. This study illustrates the potential use of peat soil in UASB for the treatment of phenolic wastewaters.

Clinical outcomes of powered and manual staplers in video-assisted thoracic surgery lobectomy for lung cancer.

Methods: This retrospective cohort study identified patients who underwent video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS) lobectomy for lung cancer from January 2016 to December 2018 in a Chinese tertiary general hospital. The electronic hospital medical records associated with the VATS lobectomy for lung cancer were the data sources. Results: Based on the analysis of 433 patients with the utilization of staplers in their VATS lobectomy for lung cancer, using powered stapler was associated with significantly shorter operation time and postsurgery hospital stay length than using the manual stapler in the multivariable generalized linear regression analyses with the adjustment of patient characteristics. However, no other significant differences were observed for other clinical outcomes between the two staplers.

Metallothionein Attenuated Arsenic-Induced Cytotoxicity: The Underlying Mechanism Reflected by Metabolomics and Lipidomics.

Arsenic ions (As3+) have been recognized as a hazard that threatens the health of humans. Metallothionein (MT) rich in cysteine may provide favorable binding sites for chelation of As3+. However, the influence of MT on As3+-induced toxicity and the underlying mechanism are poorly understood, especially at the metabolic level. Herein, the effects of MT on As3+-induced toxicity were evaluated. Cell viability analysis suggested that MT alleviated As3+-induced cytotoxicity. The metabolic response of PC12 cells to As3+ investigated by lipidomics and metabolomics indicated that the presence of As3+ disrupted phospholipids metabolism and induced cell membrane damage. Moreover, energy and amino acid metabolism were perturbed by As3+. The perturbation of As3+ on metabolism was further illustrated by the decrease of the mitochondrial membrane potential and the rise of cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). On the contrary, MT rescued As3+-induced metabolic disorder and suppressed ROS accumulation. In addition, the binding process between As3+ and MT was characterized. The results proved that the As3+-MT complex was formed and chelated As3+-scavenged ROS, thus alleviating the toxic effects of As3+. These results revealed that MT would be a potential agent to reduce As3+-induced cytotoxicity.

Influences of coagulation pretreatment on the characteristics of crude oil electric desalting wastewaters.

Highly polluted crude oil electric desalting wastewaters (EDWs) severely affect the efficiency of refinery wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Coagulation is an efficient pretreatment to reduce the impacts of EDWs. In the present study, the influences of coagulation pretreatment on the characteristics of EDWs of three typical Chinese crude oils, Liaohe heavy oil (LHO), Karamay heavy oil (KHO) and Daqing light oil (DLO), were investigated. The stability of three raw EDWs was broken and the contents of organic pollutants were significantly reduced by aluminum sulfate coagulation. More soluble COD and polar oils were removed from LHO-EDW (1241 and 98 mg L-1) and KHO-EDW (779 and 57 mg L-1) compared to DLO-EDW (417 and 11 mg L-1). Coagulation significantly changed the compositions of the organic pollutants of two heavy oil EDWs; however, slightly influenced DLO-EDW, particularly the polar organic pollutants. Most types of aromatic compounds, aliphatic acids and Ox polar compounds were removed from two heavy oil EDWs, but mainly alkanes were removed from DLO-EDW. As such, the differences in the types of dominant polar compounds became insignificant among treated heavy oil and light oil EDWs. Coagulation notably decreased the acute biotoxicity and improved the biodegradability of all treated EDWs. The residual organic nitrogen compounds in treated KHO-EDW contributed to a higher residual biotoxicity compared to treated LHO-EDW. The results demonstrate that coagulation can effectively improve the qualities of heavy oil EDWs by lowering the contents of organic pollutants and removing recalcitrant compounds, thus guaranteeing the efficiency of refinery WWTPs.

Enhanced Cytotoxicity of Cadmium by a Sulfated Polysaccharide from Abalone.

Consumption of seafood is a common route of cadmium ion (Cd2+) exposure to consumers. The seafood matrices may alter the toxicity profile of Cd2+ due to the interaction between Cd2+ and biomacromolecules in seafood. In this study, enhanced cytotoxicity of Cd2+ was found in the presence of an abalone gonad sulfated polysaccharide (AGSP) and the mechanism was investigated at a metabolic level. The formation of the AGSP-Cd2+ complex was demonstrated by isothermal titration calorimetry. The level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) increased and mitochondrial membrane potential reduced upon exposure to the AGSP-Cd2+ complex as compared with those of Cd2+ exposure. The decreased cell viability after incubation with the AGSP-Cd2+ complex also suggested enhanced Cd2+ toxicity induced by AGSP. The metabolomics and lipidomics analysis revealed that, compared with the Cd2+ group, the AGSP-Cd2+ downregulated the phospholipid metabolism and resulted in more serious damage in the cellular membrane. The lipid metabolism disorder, in turn, amplified the generation of ROS, leading to a decrease in cell viability. These results provided new evidence of the enhanced Cd2+ toxicity upon interaction with seafood polysaccharides, and much attention should be paid to the effect of food ingredients on heavy metal ion toxicity.

Clinical and economic impact of oxidized regenerated cellulose for surgeries in a Chinese tertiary care hospital.

Aim: To assess the impact of oxidized regenerated cellulose (ORC) on blood transfusion and hospital costs associated with surgeries. Patients & methods: This retrospective cohort study selected ten surgeries to create propensity-score matching groups to compare ORC versus nonORC (conventional hemostatic techniques such as manual pressure, ligature and electrocautery). Results: NonORC was associated with both higher blood transfusion volume and higher hospital costs than ORC in endoscopic transnasal sphenoidal surgery, nonskull base craniotomy, hepatectomy, cholangiotomy, gastrectomy and lumbar surgery. However, nonORC was associated with better outcomes than ORC in open colorectal surgery, mammectomy and hip arthroplasty surgery. Conclusion: When compared with conventional hemostatic technique, using ORC could impact blood transfusion and hospital costs differently by surgical settings.

Tristetraprolin Regulates TH17 Cell Function and Ameliorates DSS-Induced Colitis in Mice.

TH17 cells have been extensively investigated in inflammation, autoimmune diseases, and cancer. The precise molecular mechanisms for TH17 cell regulation, however, remain elusive, especially regulation at the post-transcriptional level. Tristetraprolin (TTP) is an RNA-binding protein important for degradation of the mRNAs encoding several proinflammatory cytokines. With newly generated T cell-specific TTP conditional knockout mice (CD4CreTTPf/f), we found that aging CD4CreTTPf/f mice displayed an increase of IL-17A in serum and spontaneously developed chronic skin inflammation along with increased effector TH17 cells in the affected skin. TTP inhibited TH17 cell development and function by promoting IL-17A mRNA degradation. In a DSS-induced colitis model, CD4CreTTPf/f mice displayed severe colitis and had more TH17 cells and serum IL-17A compared with wild-type mice. Furthermore, neutralization of IL-17A reduced the severity of colitis. Our results reveal a new mechanism for regulating TH17 function and TH17-mediated inflammation post-transcriptionally by TTP, suggests that TTP might be a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of TH17-mediated diseases.

Aerobic sludge granulation in shale gas flowback water treatment: Assessment of the bacterial community dynamics and modeling of bioreactor performance using artificial neural network.

Flowback water from shale gas extraction is highly saline and comprises complex organic substances, thereby posing a significant challenge for the environmental management of the unconventional natural gas industry. In this work, an aerobic granular sludge (AGS) method was successfully used for the treatment of flowback water from shale gas extraction. The formed AGS had a diameter of 0.25-2.0 mm and the total sludge volume index was 23.40 mL g-1. The AGS efficiently removed COD, NH4+-N and TN by 70.1%, 92.1%, and 59.2%, respectively. The bacterial communities responsible for the removal of nitrogen and degradation of organics were enriched in AGS. The dynamics of contaminant removal was further explained with a three-layered artificial neural network model. The results showed that the initial concentration of COD, TDS, NH4+-N and TN governed the contaminants' removal. As for operating parameters, aerating time showed a strong effect on NH4+-N and TN removal, whereas settling time impacted the COD removal.

Comprehensive chemical analysis and characterization of heavy oil electric desalting wastewaters in petroleum refineries.

Large quantities of highly polluted point-source wastewaters (EDWs) are generated from electric desalting process of heavy oils (HOs), resulting in severe impacts on the efficiency of wastewater treatment plants in petroleum refineries. In the present study, a comprehensive chemical analysis and characterization of EDWs of two typical Chinese heavy oils, Liaohe heavy oil (LHO) and Karamy heavy oil (KHO), were investigated using Daqing light oil (DLO) as a control. The HO-EDWs (LHO-EDW and KHO-EDW) show high pollutants contents with complicated compositions, more polar dissolved organic pollutants (DOPs), strong emulsion stability and high acute biotoxicity towards Vibrio fischeri, compared to DLO-EDW. LHO-EDW and KHO-EDW have nearly equal pollutants contents but different compositions and distributions, where more types of DOPs exist in KHO-EDW. Large amounts of biologically recalcitrant aromatic compounds, as well as heteroatomic compounds such as CHO, CHOS and CHON species, extensively distribute in HO-EDWs. The organic nitrogen compounds (e.g., anilines and N2-3Ox, N1OxS1) in KHO-EDW most probably contribute to and thus leading to elevated levels of acute biotoxicity. Additionally, highly dispersed colloidal, micron-sized particles and polar compounds promote the emulsification and stabilization of HO-EDWs. These results can guide the development of pretreatment technologies for HO-EDWs, thus improving the treatment and management of heavy oil refineries' wastewater streams.

Efficiencies and mechanisms of ZSM5 zeolites loaded with cerium, iron, or manganese oxides for catalytic ozonation of nitrobenzene in water.

Discharge of industrial wastewater causes water pollution. It is therefore necessary to treat wastewater prior to discharge. Catalytic ozonation processes (COP) using ZSM5 zeolites loaded with metallic (Ce, Fe, or Mn) oxides to remove nitrobenzene from water were investigated. The total organic carbon (TOC) removal by the COP treatment with NaZSM5-38, HZSM5-38, and NaZSM5-100 were increased by 6.7%, 23.1%, and 19.8%, respectively, in comparison with single ozonation efficiency (39.2%). The loadings of Ce, Fe, or Mn oxides increased the catalytic activity relative to ZSM5 zeolites alone. The Ce loaded material (Ce/NaZSM5-38) had the highest TOC removal (86.3%). The different-metallic-oxides loaded zeolites exhibited different chemical processes during the removal of nitrobenzene from water. During COP treatment, NaZSM5-38 zeolites removed nitrobenzene mainly via OH mediated oxidation. HZSM5-38 and NaZSM5-100 zeolites showed powerful adsorption toward nitrobenzene. Both adsorption and direct ozonation contribute the TOC removal in their early uses. The OH mediated oxidation dominates the TOC removal process as the adsorption became saturated after multiple uses. Surface SiO bonds and/or SiO(H)Al structures are the active sites for ZSM5 zeolites. Efficient surface dispersion of the metallic oxides enhances the catalytic activity. This study shows the high potentials of ZSM5 zeolites as catalysts in COP to efficiently treat refractory wastewaters.

Tristetraprolin inhibits macrophage IL-27-induced activation of antitumour cytotoxic T cell responses.

IFN-γ-producing cytotoxic T lymphocytes are essential for host defense against viral infection and cancer. Here we show that the RNA-binding tristetraprolin, encoded by Zfp36, is needed for CD8+ T-cell production of IFN-γ in vivo. When activated in vitro, however, IFN-γ production by naive wild type and tristetraprolin-deficient CD8+ T-cells is comparable. IL-27 is overproduced by tristetraprolin-deficient macrophages and increased systemically in tristetraprolin-deficient mice. Tristetraprolin suppresses IL-27 production by promoting p28 mRNA degradation. Importantly, deletion of IL-27 receptor WSX-1 in tristetraprolin-deficient mice (WSX-1/tristetraprolin double knockout) leads to a reduction in cytotoxic T lymphocyte numbers. Moreover, tumor growth is accelerated, not only in tristetraprolin-deficient mice after cytotoxic T lymphocyte depletion, but also in WSX-1/tristetraprolin double knockout mice, with substantial reduction in the number of tumor cytotoxic T lymphocytes. This study describes a regulatory pathway for IL-27 expression and cytotoxic T lymphocyte function mediated by tristetraprolin, contributing to regulation of antitumour immunity.IL-27 is one of a number of cytokines that can induce antitumour CD8+ T cell responses. Here the authors show that TTP, encoded by Zfp36, degrades p28 to inhibit IL-27 production by macrophages and is thereby a negative regulator of the antitumour response.

Potential of wheat bran to promote indigenous microbial enhanced oil recovery.

Microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) is an emerging oil extraction technology that utilizes microorganisms to facilitate recovery of crude oil in depleted petroleum reservoirs. In the present study, effects of wheat bran utilization were investigated on stimulation of indigenous MEOR. Biostimulation conditions were optimized with the response surface methodology. The co-application of wheat bran with KNO3 and NH4H2PO4 significantly promoted indigenous MEOR (IMEOR) and exhibited sequential aerobic (O-), facultative (An-) and anaerobic (A0-) metabolic stages. The surface tension of fermented broth decreased by approximately 35%, and the crude oil was highly emulsified. Microbial community structure varied largely among and in different IMEOR metabolic stages. Pseudomonas sp., Citrobacter sp., and uncultured Burkholderia sp. dominated the O-, An- and early A0-stages. Bacillus sp., Achromobacter sp., Rhizobiales sp., Alcaligenes sp. and Clostridium sp. dominated the later A0-stage. This study illustrated occurrences of microbial community succession driven by wheat bran stimulation and its industrial potential.

Potential and optimization of two-phase anaerobic digestion of oil refinery waste activated sludge and microbial community study.

Oil refinery waste activated sludge produced from oil wastewater biological treatment is a major industrial sludge. Two-phase anaerobic digestion of oil refinery waste activated sludge was studied for the first time. Thermal pretreatment under 170 °C is effective on sludge solubilization. At the optimum hydrolytic-acidogenic condition which was pH of 6.5, temperature of 55 °C and HRT of 2 days, 2754 mg/L volatile fatty acids (VFAs) were produced and acetic acid and butyric acid were the key components. Comparative studies of single-phase and two-phase anaerobic digestion in terms of organic removal, biogas production and methane concentration were conducted. The cumulative methane production and soluble COD (SCOD) removal efficiency in the two-phase system were 228 mL/g COD added and 77.8%, respectively, which were 1.6 and 2.1 times higher than those in single-phase anaerobic digestion. Such improved performance is attributed to intensification of dominant microbial population in separated reactors. Caloramator, Ureibacillus, Dechloromonas, Petrobacter, and T78 played important roles in hydrolytic-acidification and oil-organics degradation. Syntrophic bacteria in the family Porphyromonadaceae and the genus Anaerobranca provide acetate for methanogen. The results demonstrated the potential and operating condition of two-phase anaerobic digestion in treatment of oil refinery waste activated sludge.

Regulation and Immune Function of IL-27.

IL-27 is a pleiotropic cytokine that has diverse immune regulatory activities under both physiological and pathological conditions. IL-27 enhances the functions of Th1 and CD8+ T cells, promotes the development of Tfh and Tr1, and suppresses the functions of Th2, Treg, Th9, and Th17 cells. IL-27 is also involved in regulation of immune responses of B cells, NK, DCs, and macrophages. IL-27 production is strictly regulated at both transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels. Given its broad effects on immune regulation, IL-27 has been implicated in the pathogeneses of autoimmune and infectious diseases as well as cancers. In this chapter, the biological characters of IL-27 have been reviewed, including the molecular mechanisms of IL-27 production and the underlying cellular signaling pathway. The regulatory effects of IL-27 on immune responses in autoimmune disease, infectious disease, and cancer are also discussed.