Synergistic interaction between scrap tyre and plastics for the production of sulphur-free, light oil from fast co-pyrolysis.

Fast co-pyrolysis offers a sustainable solution for upcycling polymer waste, including scrap tyre and plastics. Previous studies primarily focused on slow heating rates, neglecting synergistic mechanisms and sulphur transformation in co-pyrolysis with tyre. This research explored fast co-pyrolysis of scrap tyre with polypropylene (PP), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), and polystyrene (PS) to understand synergistic effects and sulphur transformation mechanisms. A pronounced synergy was observed between scrap tyre and plastics, with the nature of the synergy being plastic-type dependent. Remarkably, blending 75 wt% PS or LDPE with tyre effectively eliminated sulphur-bearing compounds in the liquid product. This reduction in sulphur content can substantially mitigate the release of hazardous materials into the environment, emphasizing the environmental significance of co-pyrolysis. The synergy between PP or LDPE and tyre amplified the production of lighter hydrocarbons, while PS's interaction led to the creation of monocyclic aromatics. These findings offer insights into the intricate chemistry of scrap tyre and plastic interactions and highlight the potential of co-pyrolysis in waste management. By converting potential pollutants into valuable products, this method can significantly reduce the release of hazardous materials into the environment.

The efficacy and safety of roxadustat for anemia in patients with dialysis-dependent chronic kidney disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: This meta-analysis aims to assess the efficacy and safety of roxadustat in treating anemia patients with dialysis-dependent (DD) chronic kidney disease (CKD). METHODS: We comprehensively searched 5 databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) investigating roxadustat for anemia in DD-CKD patients. RevMan 5.0 was used to extract and synthesize data for meta-analysis. RESULTS: Ten different RCTs (9 studies) and 5698 DD-CKD patients with anemia were included. Our findings revealed that when compared to the erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) group, the roxadustat group showed increased hemoglobin levels [MD (Mean Difference) 0.25 g/dL (95%CI 0.14 g/dL to 0.36 g/dL), p < 0.00001] and improved iron-utilization by increasing serum iron [MD 1.85 µmol/L], total iron binding capacity [MD 35.73 µg/dL], transferrin saturation [MD 1.19%], and transferrin level [MD 0.40 g/L]. In addition, we found that roxadustat significantly decreased the low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol [MD -0.39 mmol/L] and total cholesterol [MD -0.6 mmol/L]. In patients with a C-reactive protein level that exceeds the upper limit of the normal range, hemoglobin levels were higher for roxadustat than for ESAs [MD 0.39 g/dL]. Treatment-emergent adverse events, treatment-emergent serious adverse events, and major adverse cardiovascular events were not significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: The hemoglobin levels of DD-CKD patients were significantly increased and not affected by the inflammatory state after roxadustat treatment. Roxadustat also improved iron utilization, and it was not associated with higher treatment-emergent adverse events, treatment-emergent serious adverse events, and major adverse cardiovascular events when compared to ESAs.

Roxadustat for treatment of anemia in a cancer patient with end-stage renal disease: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Most cancer patients are accompanied by anemia, which will be more serious when combined with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). At present, cancer-related anemia and renal anemia treatments mainly include erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs), iron supplementation, and blood transfusion, but their effects are often poor with several safety concerns. We have used roxadustat to treat anemia in a cancer patient with ESRD and achieved a successful outcome for the first time. CASE SUMMARY: A 64-year-old man was diagnosed with right renal cancer (clear cell renal cell carcinoma). He did not receive surgery or radiotherapy before admission. He was treated with oral soltan (sunitinib malate) on April 18, 2017. During oral chemotherapy, he had numerous complications, including anemia, hypertension, thyroid hypofunction, skin pigment loss, and renal function deterioration. At last, he progressed to ESRD and began hemodialysis treatment. We initially treated the patient with high-dose ESAs, iron supplementation, adequate dialysis, and even blood transfusion, but his anemia did not improve. Roxadustat is a newly developed drug for renal anemia treatment, but not for cancer-related anemia, let alone to treat anemia in cancer patients with ESRD. We prescribed oral roxadustat to the patient. After a period, his hemoglobin gradually increased. He did not have obvious discomfort symptoms, and his tumor did not progress significantly. CONCLUSION: Oral roxadustat could achieve good results in treating anemia in cancer patients with ESRD.

Rod-like hybrid nanomaterial with tumor targeting and pH-responsive for cancer chemo/photothermal synergistic therapy.

The development of chemo/photothermal nanotherapeutic systems with excellent photothermal performance, stable drug loading, tumor targeting and strong membrane penetration still remains a challenge. To address this problem, herein a rod-like nanocomposite system (AuNR@FA-PR/PEG) forming from folic acid (FA) terminated carboxylated cyclodextrin (CD) pseudopolyrotaxane (FA-PR) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) modifying gold nanorods (AuNR) was reported. Cisplatin (CDDP) was loaded in AuNR@FA-PR/PEG via coordination bonds to prepare a rod-like pH-responsive nanosystem (AuNR@FA-PR/PEG/CDDP) with chemotherapy/photothermal therapy. The rod-like morphology of AuNR@FA-PR/PEG was characterized by transmission electron microscope. In vitro drug release experiments showed the pH-responsive of AuNR@FA-PR/PEG/CDDP. In vivo real-time imaging assays proved AuNR@FA-PR/PEG/CDDP could rapidly enrich in the tumor area and stay for a long time because of folate targeting and their rod-like morphology. In vivo photothermal imaging assays showed AuNR@FA-PR/PEG/CDDP excellent photothermal performance, the average temperature of tumor region could reach 63.5 °C after 10 min irradiation. In vitro and in vivo experiments also demonstrated that the combined therapy of chemotherapy and photothermal therapy had an outstandingly synergistic effect and improved the therapeutic efficacy comparing with chemotherapy and photothermal therapy alone. Therefore, the prepared rod-like AuNR@FA-PR/PEG/CDDP will provide a new strategy for the effective treatment of cancer.

USP15 potentiates NF-κB activation by differentially stabilizing TAB2 and TAB3.

Tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα)- and interleukin 1ß (IL-1ß)-induced nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation play key roles in inflammation, immunity, and cancer development. Here, we identified one of the deubiquitinating enzymes (DUBs), ubiquitin-specific protease 15 (USP15), as a positive regulator in both TNFα- and IL-1ß-induced NF-κB activation. Overexpression of USP15 potentiated TNFα- or IL-1ß-triggered NF-κB activation and downstream gene transcription, whereas knockdown of USP15 had opposite effects. Mechanistically, upon TNFα stimulation, USP15 showed an enhanced interaction with transforming growth factor-ß activated kinase-1 (TAK1)-TAK1 binding protein (TAB) complex to inhibit the proteolysis of TAB2/3 by different pathways. Apart from deubiquitination dependently inducing cleavage of lysine 48-linked TAB2 ubiquitination, USP15 also DUB independently inhibited lysosome-associated TAB2 degradation, thus enhanced TAB2 stabilization. For TAB3, USP15 inhibited NBR1-mediated selective autophagic TAB3 degradation independent of its deubiquitinating activity. Together, our results reveal a novel USP15-mediated mechanism through which efficient NF-κB activation is achieved by differentially maintaining the TAB2/3 stability.

Trends and Health Risks of Dissolved Heavy Metal Pollution in Global River and Lake Water from 1970 to 2017.

Heavy metal pollution in surface water is a global environmental problem. This study analyzed the trends, health risks, and sources of eight dissolved heavy metal species in river and lake water across five continents (Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, and South America; Oceania was excluded owing to a lack of data) for the period 1970-2017. We wanted to assess the effects of various implemented countermeasures to pollution and to determine those that could be adopted worldwide. Collectively, the water system showed increasing trends for Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Mn, and Fe and decreasing trends for Pb and Zn. The mean dissolved concentrations of most heavy metals were highest in Asia and lowest in Europe. Most heavy metals had low non-carcinogenic risks over this period. The cancer risks associated with Pb were lower than the hazardous level on all five continents over the five decades, whereas the cancer risks related to Cr exceeded the hazardous level in the 1970s, 2000s, and 2010s, and in Africa, Asia, and North America over the entire period. Mining and manufacturing were consistently found to be critical sources of metal pollution from 1970 to 2017. However, the heavy metal sources differed significantly by continent, with waste discharge and rock weathering dominant in Africa; mining and manufacturing, along with rock weathering, are dominant in Asia and South America; fertilizer and pesticide use, along with rock weathering, are dominant in North America; and mining and manufacturing, waste discharge, and rock weathering are dominant in Europe. Global trends in the metal loadings in water and in relevant pollution-control measures suggest that countermeasures in Europe have successfully controlled heavy metal pollution. The successful measures include implementing rigorous standards for metal emissions, limiting the metal concentrations in products, and rigorously treating metal-contaminated waste. Therefore, the measures implemented in Europe should be extended worldwide to treat heavy metal pollution in water.

Specific Modification with TPGS and Drug Loading of Cyclodextrin Polyrotaxanes and the Enhanced Antitumor Activity Study in Vitro and in Vivo.

A kind of specific cyclodextrin polyrotaxanes (PRs) drug delivery system was developed for an effective drug delivery and enhancing antitumor effect. In this work, we prepared the PR by using α-CD derivatives and dicarboxyl-PEG (Mn = 4200) self-assembling and end-capping with ß-CD derivatives. Then, we chose d-a-Tocopheryl polyethylene glycol 1000 succinate (TPGS) with an antitumor effect to modify the PR. The modified PRs have a certain anticancer effect and can assist the anticancer drug to treat cancer. The 10-hydroxycamptothecin (HCPT) was combined to the specific PRs by covalent bonds to prepare drug-loaded specificity PRs (PR-TPGS-HCPT). The enhanced antitumor activities of PR-TPGS-HCPT were studied by in vitro and in vivo experiments, and the experiment results proved that the TPGS could effectively assist the drug to treat cancer and prolong the lifetime of the tumor-bearing mice. Therefore, this research provides a promising drug-loaded material for the cancer treatment and the specific water-soluble PRs will have potential applications in the biomedical field.

Bioaccumulation in Miscanthus sacchariflorus grown on cadmium-contaminated sediments: a comparative study between submerged and non-submerged environments.

Bioaccumulation of heavy metals in aquatic plants is significantly affected by hydrological regime and therefore the accumulation and translocation of cadmium in five organs-panicle, leaf, stem, root, and bud-of an emergent plant (Miscanthus sacchariflorus) were compared between the submerged environment and non-submerged environment. In the submerged condition, the cadmium concentration was higher in the panicle and leaf than in the stem, root, and bud. Cadmium concentration in the root exhibited a positive regression with cadmium concentration in the sediment. However, cadmium concentration in the panicle, leaf, stem, and bud exhibited no significant regression with cadmium concentration in the sediment. In the non-submerged environment, the cadmium concentration was higher in the below-ground organs than in the aboveground organs. The mean bioaccumulation coefficient in the 24 investigated plots in the submerged environment was higher than that in the 20 and 40 mg kg-1 cadmium treatments in the non-submerged environment. The mean translocation factor in the submerged environment was nine times higher than that in non-submerged environment. These results indicate that submergence enhanced cadmium bioaccumulation in the aboveground organs and that this plant can be used to remove heavy metals from polluted rivers and lakes.

ANGPTL8 negatively regulates NF-κB activation by facilitating selective autophagic degradation of IKKγ.

Excessive nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation mediated by tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) plays a critical role in inflammation. Here we demonstrate that angiopoietin-like 8 (ANGPTL8) functions as a negative feedback regulator in TNFα-triggered NF-κB activation intracellularly. Inflammatory stimuli induce ANGPTL8 expression, and knockdown or knockout of ANGPTL8 potentiates TNFα-induced NF-κB activation in vitro. Mechanistically, upon TNFα stimulation, ANGPTL8 facilitates the interaction of IKKγ with p62 via forming a complex, thus promoting the selective autophagic degradation of IKKγ. Furthermore, the N-terminal domain mediated self-oligomerization of ANGPTL8 is essential for IKKγ degradation and NF-κB activation. In vivo, circulating ANGPTL8 level is high in patients diagnosed with infectious diseases, and the ANGPTL8/p62-IKKγ axis is responsive to inflammatory stimuli in the liver of LPS-injected mice. Altogether, our study suggests the ANGPTL8/p62-IKKγ axis as a negative feedback loop that regulates NF-κB activation, and extends the role of selective autophagy in fine-tuned inflammatory responses.

Inhibitory effects of magnolol and honokiol on human calcitonin aggregation.

Amyloid formation is associated with multiple amyloidosis diseases. Human calcitonin (hCT) is a typical amyloidogenic peptide, its aggregation is associated with medullary carcinoma of the thyroid (MTC), and also limits its clinical application. Magnolia officinalis is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine; its two major polyphenol components, magnolol (Mag) and honokiol (Hon), have displayed multiple functions. Polyphenols like flavonoids and their derivatives have been extensively studied as amyloid inhibitors. However, the anti-amyloidogenic property of a biphenyl backbone containing polyphenols such as Mag and Hon has not been reported. In this study, these two compounds were tested for their effects on hCT aggregation. We found that Mag and Hon both inhibited the amyloid formation of hCT, whereas Mag showed a stronger inhibitory effect; moreover, they both dose-dependently disassembled preformed hCT aggregates. Further immuno-dot blot and dynamic light scattering studies suggested Mag and Hon suppressed the aggregation of hCT both at the oligomerization and the fibrillation stages, while MTT-based and dye-leakage assays demonstrated that Mag and Hon effectively reduced cytotoxicity caused by hCT aggregates. Furthermore, isothermal titration calorimetry indicated Mag and Hon both interact with hCT. Together, our study suggested a potential anti-amyloidogenic property of these two compounds and their structure related derivatives.