Toxicity assessment of Cucurbita pepo cv Dayangua and its effects on gut microbiota in mice.

BACKGROUND: Cucurbita pepo cv Dayangua (CPD) is an edible plant with diverse pharmacological properties. The current research on CPD has primarily focused on initial investigations of its chemical composition and pharmacological effects, and no comprehensive toxicity assessment has been conducted to date. METHODS: In the present study, the toxicity of CPD was evaluated through both acute and sub-chronic oral toxicity tests in mice. 16S rDNA sequencing was used to analyze the composition of the gut microbiota of mice at different time points to observe the effect of CPD on these microbial communities. RESULTS: In the acute toxicity test, CPD exhibited low toxicity, with a median lethal dose (LD50) > 2000 mg/kg. The sub-chronic toxicity test indicated that CPD administration at doses of 200, 400, and 600 mg/kg did not cause mortality or significant organ damage in mice. Furthermore, analysis of the gut microbiota after gavage administration of CPD at 400 and 600 mg/kg revealed an improved abundance of some beneficial gut bacteria. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, no acute or sub-chronic toxic effects were observed in mice following the oral administration of CPD. CPD did not affect the structure and diversity of the gut microbiota and may contribute to an increase in the number of beneficial gut bacteria.

Correction: Teng et al. Efficacy Assessment of Phage Therapy in Treating Staphylococcus aureus-Induced Mastitis in Mice. Viruses 2022, 14, 620.

In the original publication [...].

Stabilization of heavy metals in municipal solid waste incineration fly ash using organic chelating agents: Insight into risk assessment and function mechanism.

Landfill treatment of municipal solid waste incineration fly ash (MSWI FA) after stabilization is the primary disposal technology. However, only few studies have assessed the stability of MSWI-FA-chelated products in different landfill scenarios. In this study, three commonly used dithiocarbamate (DTC)-based organic chelating agents (CAs) (TS-300, SDD, and PD) were selected to stabilize heavy metals (HMs) in MSWI FA. In addition, the leaching toxicity and environmental risks of the chelated products were assessed in different disposal environments. The results demonstrate that the HM leaching concentrations of the chelated products met the concentration limits of the sanitary landfill standard (GB16889-2008; mixed Landfill Scenario) for the three CAs at a low additive level (0.3 %). However, in the compartmentalized landfill scenario (the leaching agent was acid rain), the leaching of HMs from the chelated products met the standard when TS-300, SDD, and PD were added at 1.5 %, 6.0 %, and 8.0 %, respectively. Additionally, Pb, Zn, and Cd in the chelated products from the 1.5 %-TS-300 and 6.0 %-SDD groups met the leaching limits within the pH ranges 6-12 and 7-12, 6-12 and 7-12, and 8-12 and 8-12, respectively. This was primarily due of TS-300's multiple DTC groups forming stable chain-like macromolecular chelates with Pb. However, although the environmental risks associated with Pb, Zn, and Cd in the initial (0-d) chelated products of the 1.5 %-TS-300 and 6.0 %-SDD groups were minimized to low and negligible levels, there was a significant increase in the leaching of the three HMs after 28 d of storage. Therefore, with appropriate CA addition, although the leaching concentration of HMs in the chelated product may comply with the GB16889-2008 standards, it remains essential to consider its environmental risk, particularly in highly acidic or alkaline environments and during prolonged storage of the product.

Solidification/stabilization and risk assessment of heavy metals in municipal solid waste incineration fly ash: A review.

Incineration is currently the most common method of treating municipal solid waste. Municipal solid waste incineration fly ash (MSWI FA) contains a high concentration of toxic heavy metals (HMs), making it a hazardous waste. A series of detoxification treatments are required to reduce the toxicity of fly ash. Furthermore, the environmental risk of MSWI FA after treatment is becoming a cause of concern. This paper reviews the primary ash properties, pH, liquid-solid ratio, and other factors (microorganism, type of leaching agents, etc.) that affect the leaching of HMs from MSWI FA, compares and summarizes the most widely applied solidification/stabilization (S/S) techniques. In particular, models and methods for the environmental risk assessment and prediction of HMs are classified and described in detail. Finally, the inadequacy of current S/S techniques for MSWI FA is pointed out, which may be useful for upcoming studies on this topic.

Economic and environmental evaluation for a closed loop of crude glycerol bioconversion to biodiesel.

Crude glycerol, a byproduct of biodiesel production, was utilized as a carbon source to produce microbial lipids by the oleaginous yeast Rhodotorula toruloides in this study. The maximum lipid production and lipid content were 10.56 g/L and 49.52%, respectively, by optimizing fermentation conditions. The obtained biodiesel met the standards of China, the United States, and the European Union. The economic value of biodiesel produced from crude glycerol increased by 48% compared with the sale of crude glycerol. In addition, biodiesel production from crude glycerol could reduce 11,928 tons of carbon dioxide emissions and 55 tons of sulfur dioxide emissions. This study provides a strategy for a closed loop of crude glycerol to biofuel and ensures sustainable and stable development of the biodiesel industries.

Low-Cost Self-Calibration Data Glove Based on Space-Division Multiplexed Flexible Optical Fiber Sensor.

Wearable devices such as data gloves have experienced tremendous growth over the past two decades. It is vital to develop flexible sensors with fast response, high sensitivity and high stability for intelligent data gloves. Therefore, a tractable low-cost flexible data glove with self-calibration function based on a space-division multiplexed flexible optical fiber sensor is proposed. A simple, stable and economical method was used to fabricate flexible silicone rubber fiber for a stretchable double-layered coaxial cylinder. The test results show that the fiber is not sensitive to the temperature range of (20~50 °C) and exhibits excellent flexibility and high stability under tensile, bending and torsional deformation. In addition, the signal detection part of the data glove enables compact and efficient real-time information acquisition and processing. Combined with a self-calibration function that can improve the accuracy of data acquisition, the data glove can be self-adaptive according to different hand sizes and bending habits. In a gesture capture test, it can accurately recognize and capture each gesture, and guide the manipulator to make the same action. The low-cost, fast-responding and structurally robust data glove has potential applications in areas such as sign language recognition, telemedicine and human-robot interaction.

Heavy metal leaching behaviour and long-term environmental risk assessment of cement-solidified municipal solid waste incineration fly ash in sanitary landfill.

Cement solidification is a commonly used pre-treatment method for municipal solid waste incineration fly ash (MSWIFA) prior to sanitary landfill. However, the long-term environmental risk of cement-solidified MSWIFA blocks in the exposed scenario of zoning sanitary landfill remains unclear. In this study, the leaching characteristics of different heavy metals in cement-solidified MSWIFA blocks under deionized water and acid rain scenarios were firstly investigated. The leaching control mechanisms of heavy metals were also explored and applied to established mechanical models for the estimation of long-term environmental risk. Results revealed that Pb leaching from cement-solidified MSWIFA blocks was controlled by diffusion; Cu, Cr and As leaching was mainly controlled by surface wash-off and diffusion; and Ni leaching was mainly controlled by diffusion and dissolution. Additionally, the established bulk diffusion, first-order reaction/diffusion and diffusion/dissolution models could accurately fit the abovementioned three types of heavy metals with different leaching control mechanisms (R2 > 0.95). Under acid rain scenarios， according to the prediction results of the calibrated models, the cumulative leaching amount of Pb in 718 d was higher than the limit in GB16889-2008, the cumulative leaching amount of Cu, Cr, As and Ni did not exceed the limit in GB 16889-2008 even in 50 years. Therefore, the long-term environmental risk was relatively high for Pb but was low for Cu, Cr, As and Ni in cement-solidified MSWIFA blocks. This finding could be attributed to the strong alkali environment of cement-solidified MSWIFA blocks (pH > 12) that induced Pb salts (e.g. Pb(OH)2 and PbSO4) dissolution. Therefore, the removal of partially soluble Pb salts from freshly made cement-solidified MSWIFA blocks by water or natural rainwater (e.g. without final cover system) washing in the initial landfilling stage (e.g. the leachate drainage system remains functional) is an effective countermeasure to reduce the environmental risks in zoning sanitary landfill.

Efficacy Assessment of Phage Therapy in Treating Staphylococcus aureus-Induced Mastitis in Mice.

The primary aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of phage against mastitis induced by drug-resistant S. aureus in a mouse model. In this study, five S. aureus phages-4086-1, 4086-2, 4086-3, 4086-4, and 4086-6-were isolated from milk samples secreted by mastitis cows. Transmission electron microscopy showed that all the five phages had icosahedral heads and short non-contractile tails, which are typical characteristics of the family Podoviridae. All these phages were species-specific against S. aureus. The one-step growth curve showed a short latency period (10-20 min) and high burst size (up to 400 PFU/infected cell). To evaluate the effectiveness of the phage 4086-1 in the treatment against mastitis, a mouse model of mastitis was challenged with drug-resistant S. aureus. The results showed the proliferation of S. aureus in the mammary glands was significantly inhibited after treating by phage 4086-1. The concentrations of TNF-α and IL-6 decreased significantly, which demonstrated the phages could effectively alleviate the inflammatory responses. Furthermore, the histopathological analysis showed that inflammatory infiltration in the mammary glands was significantly reduced. These results demonstrate that phage may be a promising alternative therapy against mastitis caused by drug-resistant S. aureus.

Application of the 3D-MRI on post-operative graft assessment in adolescent patients with ACL reconstruction: A minimal 2-year follow-up.

Background: The purpose of the present study was to assess the prognostic morphological changes of the reconstructed hamstring auto-grafts by using reconstructed three-dimensional MRI (3D-MRI) in adolescent patients with ACLR. Methods: 22 adolescent patients (less than 17 years old) were retrospective included between January 1, 2018, and October 31, 2020, in our department. The patients were divided into 2 subgroups: subgroup A (<14 years old) and subgroup B (≥14 years old). 3D-MRI was used to detect the total cross-sectional area (TCA) and long-to-short axis (LSA) ratio of the reconstructed ACL graft at the proximal, mid-point, and distal regions. The minimal follow-up was 2 years. Results: The averaged follow-up of subgroup A and B was 37.8 ± 5.6 and 37.6 ± 6.5 months, respectively. Comparing to the initial graft (ACLR operation), the TCA of reconstructed ACL was increased by 30.6% on average, and the TCAs at proximal, mid-point, and distal regions were increased by 56.4%, 50.0%, and 17.7%, respectively, inner-group comparisons showed that the TCAs of the 3 region in subgroup A were all increased at the follow-up (P = 0.002) (P < 0.001) (P < 0.001), however, only increased mid-point (P = 0.024) and distal TCAs (P < 0.001) were found in subgroup B. Comparing to the native ACL, the proximal LSA ratio in subgroup A was comparable, while it was lower in subgroup B than the native ACL (P = 0.004), the distal LSA ratios in the 2 subgroups were both lower than the native ACL (P = 0.004) (P = 0.006). Conclusions: 3D-MRI assessment can exactly identify the morphological changes of the graft in adolescent patients with ACLR, the TCA of the constructed ACL was increased compared to the initial graft, however, the LSA ratio was still lower than the native ACL. Younger adolescent patients may have a better potential on the ligamentization after ACLR than the older adolescent patients.

Assessment of myocardial strain in children with risk factors for atherosclerosis with use of 3D speckle tracking echocardiography.

BACKGROUND: The known risk factors for atherosclerosis such as dyslipidemia, hypertension, obesity, and fasting hyperglycemia are associated with subclinical myocardial dysfunction. We assessed myocardial strain in children who had risk factors for atherosclerosis with use of 3D speckle tracking echocardiography (3DSTE). METHODS: A total of 340 eligible children (mean age [±SD]: 9.5 [±1.9] years; range, 7.1-12.2; 189 males, 151 females). Levels of serum cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), fasting blood glucose (FBG), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and body mass index (BMI) were investigated. The parameters of left ventricular (LV) myocardial strain including global longitudinal strain (GLS), global circumferential strain (GCS), and global radial strain (GRS) were measured with use of real time 3DSTE. RESULTS: Left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain and global circumferential strain in the groups with isolated dyslipidemia, isolated hypertension, isolated obese/overweight, and combination groups were lower than those in healthy controls (P < .01 for all). Global longitudinal strain (GLS) and GCS showed a negative correlation with the respective risk factors (TG, TC, and LDL-C; SBP and DBP; weight and BMI) (P < .05 for all). Multiple stepwise regression analysis showed a significant negative correlation of GLS and GCS with BMI, TC, TG, and SBP. The degree of myocardial strain aggravated significantly with increase in the number of risk factors in an individual subject.