Development of an AIE-active fluorescent probe for the simultaneous detection of Al3+ and viscosity and imaging in Alzheimer's disease model.

Alzheimer's disease is associated both with imbalances in Al3+ production and changes in viscosity in cells. Their simultaneous measurement could therefore provide valuable insights into Alzheimer's disease pathology. Their simultaneous measurement would therefore be of great value in investigating the pathological mechanism of Alzheimer's disease. We designed a fluorescent probe YM2T with AIE effect that is capable of selectively responding to Al3+ by fluorescence colormetrics and to viscosity by fluorescence "turn on" modes. Additionally, Al3+ and viscosity were simultaneously detected in PC12 cells using the low cytotoxic probe YM2T via blue and green fluorescence channels. More importantly, the YM2T probe was used to image mice with AD. Hence, the YM2T probe shows potential as a useful molecular instrument for studying the pathological impact of Al3+ and viscosity.

Enhancement the wastewater treatment performance of multistage living machine by underwater lamp.

Source separation and decentralized domestic wastewater treatment represent effective strategies to enhance sewage treatment performance and facilitate water reuse economically. The Living Machine (LM) system has gained widespread adoption for decentralized sewage treatment. While underwater light source has been demonstrated to enhance the treatment performance of open aerobic reactors in LM systems, its influence on the treatment efficiency of a fully multistage LM system remains underreported. In this study, an underwater lamp-added LM system (ULLM) with eight reactors was constructed and investigated. The introduction of underwater light source obviously improved the removal capacity of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and NH4+-N, which was 96.1% and 61.6%, respectively. The diversity of algae, zooplankton, and aquatic animals was notably higher in the light-treated reactors than in the control group (CK) without underwater light source, and substantial alteration in the microbial community of the light-treated reactors was observed compared with CK reactors. At the phylum level, Proteobacteria and Nitrospirae enriched in the underwater light-treated reactors, while Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria exhibited a decrease after light exposure. At the genus level, Nitrospira and Rhodanobacter were enriched in the ULLM system. Importantly, the prevalence of these two dominant genera was sustained until the final operational stage, indicating their potential key roles in enhancing wastewater treatment performance. The addition of underwater light source proves to be an effective strategy for augmenting the treatment efficiency of the multistage living machine systems, resulting in substantial improvements in pollutant removal. These findings contribute valuable insights into optimizing LM systems for decentralized wastewater treatment.

Nesfatin-1 alleviates hyperoxia-induced lung injury in newborn mice by inhibiting oxidative stress through regulating SIRT1/PGC-1α pathway.

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a pulmonary disease commonly observed in premature infants and it is reported that oxidative stress is a critical induction factor in BPD and is considered as a promising target for treating BPD. Nesfatin-1 is a brain-gut peptide with inhibitory effects on food intake, which is recently evidenced to show suppressive effect on oxidative stress. The present study aims to explore the therapeutic effect and mechanism of Nesfatin-1 in BPD mice. AECIIs were extracted from newborn rats and exposed to hyperoxia for 24 h, followed by treatment with 5 and 10 nM Nesfatin-1. Declined cell viability, increased apoptotic rate, upregulated Bax, downregulated Bcl-2, increased release of ROS and MDA, and suppressed SOD activity were observed in hyperoxia-treated AECIIs, which were extremely reversed by Nesfatin-1. Newborn rats were exposed to hyperoxia, followed by treated with 10 µg/kg Nesfatin-1 and 20 µg/kg Nesfatin-1. Severe pathological changes, elevated MDA level, and declined SOD activity were observed in lung tissues of BPD mice, which were rescued by Nesfatin-1. Furthermore, the protective effect of Nesfatin-1 on hyperoxia-challenged AECIIs was abolished by silencing SIRT1. Collectively, Nesfatin-1 alleviated hyperoxia-induced lung injury in newborn mice by inhibiting oxidative stress through regulating SIRT1/PGC-1α pathway.

The heterophilicic epitopes in conserved HA regions of human and avian influenza viruses can produce antibodies that bound to kidney tissue.

Influenza virus infection can cause kidney damage. However, the link between influenza infection and disease is still unclear. The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between heterophilic epitopes on H5N1 hemagglutinin (HA) and disease. The monoclonal antibody (mAb) against H5N1 was prepared, mAbs binding to human kidney tissue were screened, and the reactivities of mAbs with five different subtypes of influenza virus were detected. Design and synthesize the peptides according to the common amino acid sequence of these antigens, and analyze the distribution of the epitope on the crystal structure of HA. Immunological methods were used to detect whether the heterophilic epitopes could induce the production of antibodies that cross-react with kidney tissue. The results showed that H5-30 mA b binding to human kidney tissue recognized the heterophilic epitope 191-LVLWGIHHP-199 on the head of HA. The key amino acid were V192, L193, W194 and I196, which were highly conserved in human and avian influenza virus HA. The heterophilic epitope could induce mice to produce different mAbs binding to kidney tissue. Such heterophilic antibodies were also detected in the serum of the patients. It can provide materials for the mechanism of renal diseases caused by influenza virus infection.

Effects of Aeromonas hydrophila infection on the intestinal microbiota, transcriptome, and metabolomic of common carp (Cyprinus carpio).

Aeromonas hydrophila frequently has harmful effects on aquatic organisms. The intestine is an important defense against stress. In this study, we investigated the intestinal microbiota and transcriptomic and metabolomic responses of Cyprinus carpio subjected to A. hydrophila infection. The results showed that obvious variation in the intestinal microbiota was observed after infection, with increased levels of Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes and decreased levels of Proteobacteria. Several genera of putatively beneficial microbiota (Cetobacterium, Bacteroides, and Lactobacillus) were abundant, while Demequina, Roseomonas, Rhodobacter, Pseudoxanthomonas, and Cellvibrio were decreased; pathogenic bacteria of the genus Vibrio were increased after microbiota infection. The intestinal transcriptome revealed several immune-related differentially expressed genes associated with the cytokines and oxidative stress. The metabolomic analysis showed that microbiota infection disturbed the metabolic processes of the carp, particularly amino acid metabolism. This study provides insight into the underlying mechanisms associated with the intestinal microbiota, immunity, and metabolism of carp response to A. hydrophila infection; eleven stress-related metabolite markers were identified, including N-acetylglutamic acid, capsidiol, sedoheptulose 7-phosphate, prostaglandin B1, 8,9-DiHETrE, 12,13-DHOME, ADP, cellobiose, 1H-Indole-3-carboxaldehyde, sinapic acid and 5,7-dihydroxyflavone.

Long non-coding RNA NBR2 suppresses the progression of colorectal cancer by downregulating miR-19a to regulate M2 macrophage polarization.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a malignant tumor of the gastrointestinal tract that significantly impacts the health of patients and lacks promising methods of diagnosis. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are involved in CRC progression, and their function is regulated by long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). The lncRNA NBR2 was recently reported as an oncogene, whose function in CRC remains uncertain. The present study aimed to investigate the biological function of lncRNA NBR2 in the progression of CRC and its underlying molecular mechanisms. Ten pairs of clinical CRC and para-carcinoma tissues were collected to determine the expression levels of lncRNA NBR2 and miR-19a, and the polarization state of TAMs. Quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was used to evaluate the expression of miR-19a, and western blotting was used to determine the expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, human leukocyte antigen-DR, arginase-1, CD163, CD206, interleukin-4, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), p-AMPK, hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), protein kinase B (AKT), p-AKT, mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), and p-mTOR in TAMs. The proliferative ability of HCT-116 cells was detected using the CCK8 assay, and the migratory ability of HCT-116 cells was evaluated using the Transwell assay. The interaction between lncRNA NBR2 and miR-19a was determined using the luciferase assay. The lncRNA NBR2 was downregulated and miR-19a was highly expressed in CRC cells, accompanied by a high M2 polarization. Downregulated miR-19a promoted M1 polarization, activated AMPK, suppressed HIF-1α and AKT/mTOR signaling pathways, and promoted antitumor properties in NBR2-overexpressed TAMs, which were all reversed by the introduction of the miR-19a mimic. LncRNA NBR2 was verified to target miR-19a in macrophages according to the results of the luciferase assay. Collectively, lncRNA NBR2 may suppress the progression of CRC by downregulating miR-19a to regulate M2 macrophage polarization.

Multi-Scale Fusion Localization Based on Magnetic Trajectory Sequence.

Magnetic fingerprint has a multitude of advantages in the application of indoor positioning, but as a weak magnetic field, the dynamic range of the data is limited, which exerts direct influence on the positioning accuracy. Aiming at resolving the problem wherein the indoor magnetic positioning results tremendously rest with the magnetic characteristics, this paper puts forward a method based on deep learning to fuse the temporal and spatial characteristics of magnetic fingerprints, to fully explore the magnetic characteristics and to obtain stable and trustworthy positioning results. First and foremost, the trajectory of the acquisition area is extracted by adopting the ameliorated random waypoint model, and the simulation of pedestrian trajectory is completed. Then, the magnetic sequence is obtained by mapping the magnetic data. Aside from that, considering the scale characteristics of the sequence, a scale transformation unit is designed to obtain multi-scale features. At length, the neural network self-attention mechanism is adopted to fuse multiple features and output the positioning results. By probing into the positioning results of dissimilar indoor scenes, this method can adapt to diverse scenes. The average positioning error in a corridor, open area and complex area reaches 0.65 m, 0.93 m and 1.38 m respectively. The addition of multi-scale features has certain reference value for ameliorating the positioning performance.

Enhancement of algae ponds for rural domestic sewage treatment by prolonging daylight using artificial lamps.

Algal ponds (APs) are widely used as treatment facilities for domestic sewage in sparsely populated rural areas. However, few AP studies have focused on daylight length to enhance pollutants removal. In this study, four algae ponds were set up, daylight was prolonged by 0, 2, 4, and 6 h with an illuminating intensity of 3000 lx. The highest removal efficiencies of total nitrogen, ammonium, and total phosphorus were 37.36%, 41.20%, and 21.56% due to the highest microbial abundance under optimum conditions (2 h PD), respectively. Excessive PD (4 h and 6 h) could inhibit the removal abilities. PD also increased the maximum relative electron transport rate of algae, leading to an increase in the photosynthetic capacity of APs. Meanwhile, the high microbial abundance indicates that chemoheterotrophic bacteria are the main influencing factor for the removal of nitrogen and phosphorus by the APs. Moreover, the system with PD using artificial lamps was proven to be feasible for engineering applications and potentially utilized in rural domestic wastewater treatment.

Application of constructed wetlands in treating rural sewage from source separation with high-influent nitrogen load: a review.

Constructed wetlands (CWs) are characterized by low construction cost, convenient maintenance and management, and environmentally friendly features. They have emerged as promising technologies for decentralized sewage treatment across rural areas. Source separation of black water and gray water can facilitate sewage recycling and reuse of reclaimed water, reduce the size of treatment facilities, and lower infrastructure investment and operating cost. This is consistent with the concept of sustainable development. However, black water contains high concentrations of ammonia nitrogen, and the denitrification capacity of CWs is not excellent due to insufficient carbon source. Therefore, application of CWs for black water treatment faces challenges. This article provides a review on the progress in CWs for treatment of the sewage with high-influent nitrogen load, with emphasis on the commonly used strengthening means and the role of plants in nitrogen removal via CWs. The current issues of rural sewage treatment with high-influent nitrogen load by CWs are also assessed. Finally, the challenges and perspectives are discussed for the optimization of CWs-enhanced denitrification strategies.

Clinical application of ultrasound-guided percutaneous microwave ablation for benign breast lesions: a prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Background: Benign breast lesions are the most common diseases in adult women, which have been treated with minimally invasive therapies in recent years. Little is known about the feasibility of Microwave ablation (MWA) for benign breast lesion treatment. The primary aim of this prospective study was to evaluate the safety and efficiency of MWA as a potential therapeutic option for benign breast lesions in a single-center cohort study. METHODS: Women with possibly benign breast lesions based on an ultrasound (US) assessment who were scheduled to undergo MWA between November 2014 to July 2018 were included in the study. The patients underwent conventional US to measure the size of the lesion, Doppler US to assess the vascularity of the lesion, elastography to evaluate the stiffness of the mass, core needle biopsy of suspicious lesions, contrast-enhanced US to help determine the treatment plan and eventually MWA of the lesion. Lesions were followed at one, three, six, twelve and eighteen months after treatment to with the same imaging modalities. RESULTS: A total of 314 women aged 17 to 69 years old (mean = 36.9 ± 9.9 years) with 725 benign breast lesions (mean of maximum diameter = 10.86 ± 5.40 mm) were included. The frequency of palpable mass, pain and nipple discharge significantly decreased after treatment. Complete ablation rate was 97.8%, immediately after ablation, which increased to 100% after supplementary ablation of the 15 cases with incomplete ablation. Blood flow classification and lesion's volume also showed a significant decrease, while both volume reduction ratio and disappearance rate significantly increased following treatment. The elasticity score of the lesions showed fluctuations across different follow-up intervals. None of the patients experienced major complications and the 1% who had mild symptoms were successfully treated. CONCLUSION: MWA treatment is shown to be safe and efficient and has the potential to be considered as an alternative first line treatment for benign breast lesions.

Assessment of Hemodynamic Alterations in Cerebral Veins in Patients With Intracerebral Hemorrhage Using Duplex Color-Coded Sonography.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the contributions of hemodynamic alterations in cerebral veins to the prognosis of patients with primary intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). METHODS: Duplex color-coded sonography was performed on 87 ICH patients between July 2016 and October 2017. The time-averaged peak velocity, the time-averaged mean velocity (TAMV), the blood flow volume (BFV) of bilateral internal jugular veins (IJVs) and vertebral veins (VVs), and the mean velocities of bilateral basal veins of Rosenthal, straight sinus, and bilateral transverse sinuses were calculated to understand the relationship of hemodynamic data with prognosis in patients with ICH. RESULTS: The study revealed that the time-averaged peak velocities, TAMVs and BFVs of both right IJV and VV in ICH patients with good clinical outcomes were higher than those of the left IJV and VV, whereas statistically significant differences were not found in the mean velocity of bilateral veins of Rosenthal. The perihematomal edema volume, time-averaged peak velocities, TAMVs, and BFVs of the bilateral IJVs and right VV and the TAMV of the left VV were associated with the prognosis of ICH patients in the univariate analysis. However, the TAMV of the right IJV and BFV of the left IJV were the independent factors that predicted prognosis in multivariate analysis. Partial correlation showed that there was a linear dependence between the differences in TAMV and BFV between bilateral IJVs. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of hemodynamic changes in cerebral veins in patients with ICH has an impact on prognosis.

Outcomes of total knee arthroplasty in the adult Kashin-Beck disease with severe osteoarthritis.

PURPOSE: Kashin-Beck disease (KBD) is an endemic osteoarthropathy, and the severe knee pain and functional limitations were seriously affecting the quality of life in patients with end-stage KBD. We retrospectively evaluated the clinical outcomes and the quality of life in KBD patients with total knee arthroplasty (TKA). METHODS: A total of 22 subjects (25 knees) suffered KBD with severe knee pain and underwent primary TKA. Knee pain was measured by visual analogue scale (VAS), and the knee function was evaluated by Knee Society Clinical Rating System Score (KSS). KBD Quality of Life (KBDQOL) was used to evaluate the quality of life in KBD patients before and after TKA. RESULTS: There were no major complications after TKA. The levels of VAS score were obviously deceased in post-operation than that in pre-operation. The levels of KSS score were increased in one year after TKA compared with the pre-operative values, and it maintained a higher level on three years after TKA. The average KBDQOL score level of each domain in pre-operation and one and three years after TKA was increased accordingly. The average scores of physical function, activity limitation, support of society, mental health, and general health in one year after TKA were significantly higher than those in pre-operation. CONCLUSIONS: TKA can reduce knee pain, improve knee function, and improve the quality life in KBD patients. KBDQOL questionnaire may be a promising instrument for assessing the quality life in KBD patients.

[Textual research of "Huangbo" in classical prescriptions].

"Huangbo" is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine in clinic,which is mainly divided into " Chuanhuangbo" and " Guanhuangbo" in the market today. It's better to use thick and dark stem bark as medicine. This study combed the germplasms of " Huangbo" in Chinese herbal medicines and ancient medical books,which showed that the name,origin and processing of " Huangbo" had undergone evolution and changes since the ancient times. The results showed that " Huangbo" was first known as " Bomu" from " Sheng Nong's Herbal Classic". There was an attached name " Tanhuan" and the alias " Huangbo" besides " Bomu" in herbal books in Tang and Song Dynasty. Before Tang Dynasty, " Bomu" was mainly originated from stems or roots of Berberis species in Berberiaceae,and then it was mainly derived from the dry bark of Phellodendron chinense in Rutaceae since Song Dynasty. In Ming Dynasty,some herbal books recorded it name as " Huangbo",whose origin and medicinal parts remained unchanged,taking Sichuan as the best producing area. During the Republic of China era,the name " Huangbo" has evolved to " Huangbo",and the variety differentiation of " Chuanhuangbo", " Guanhuangbo" and " Yanghuangbo" appeared,in which " Guanhuangbo" was mainly derived from Ph. amurense Rupr.. In modern times,although species differentiation still exists in " Huangbo",the market is still dominated by " Chuanhuangbo".

Layered Crystal Structure, Color-Tunable Photoluminescence, and Excellent Thermal Stability of MgIn2P4O14 Phosphate-Based Phosphors.

Single-component white phosphors stand a good chance to serve in the next-generation high-power white light-emitting diodes. Because of low thermal stability and containing lanthanide ions with reduced valence state, most of reported phosphors usually suffer unstable color of lighting for practical packaging and comparably complex synthetic processes. In this work, we present a type of novel color-tunable blue-white-yellow-emitting MgIn2P4O14:Tm3+/Dy3+ phosphor with high thermal stability, which can be easily fabricated in air. Under UV excitation, the MgIn2P4O14:Tm0.02Dy0.03 white phosphor exhibits negligible thermal-quenching behavior, with a 99.5% intensity retention at 150 °C, relative to its initial value at room temperature. The phosphor host MgIn2P4O14 was synthesized and reported for the first time. MgIn2P4O14 crystallizes in the space group of C2/c (No. 15) with a novel layered structure built of alternate anionic and cationic layers. Its disordering structure, with Mg and In atoms co-occupying the same site, is believed to facilitate the energy transfer between rare-earth ions and benefit by sustaining the luminescence with increasing temperature. The measured absolute quantum yields of MgIn2P4O14:Dy0.04, MgIn2P4O14:Tm0.01Dy0.04, and MgIn2P4O14:Tm0.02Dy0.03 phosphors under the excitation of 351 nm ultraviolet radiation are 70.50%, 53.24%, and 52.31%, respectively. Present work indicates that the novel layered MgIn2P4O14 is a promising candidate as a single-component white phosphor host with an excellent thermal stability for near-UV-excited white-light-emitting diodes (wLEDs).

Microbial and metabolic characterization of a denitrifying phosphorus-uptake/side stream phosphorus removal system for treating domestic sewage.

In this study, an advanced wastewater treatment process, the denitrifying phosphorus/side stream phosphorus removal system (DPR-Phostrip), was developed for the purpose of enhancing denitrifying phosphorus removal. The enrichment of denitrifying phosphorus-accumulating organisms (DPAOs) and the microbial community structure of DPR-Phostrip were evaluated by polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE), and the metabolic activity of seed sludge and activated sludge collected after 55 days of operation were evaluated by Biolog™ analysis. This experimental study of DPR-Phostrip operation showed that nutrients were removed effectively, and denitrifying phosphorus removal was observed during the pre-anoxic period. PCR-DGGE analysis indicated that DPR-Phostrip supported DPAO growth while inhibiting PAOs and GAOs. The major dominant species in DPR-Phostrip were Bacteroidetes bacterium, Saprospiraceae bacterium, and Chloroflexi bacterium. Moreover, the functional diversity indices calculated on the basis of Biolog analysis indicated that DPR-Phostrip had almost no effect on microbial community diversity but was associated with a shift in the dominant species, which confirms the results of the PCR-DGGE analysis. The results for average well color development, calculated via Biolog analysis, showed that DPR-Phostrip had a little impact on the metabolic activity of sludge. Further principal component analysis suggested that the ability to utilize low-molecular-weight organic compounds was reduced in DPR-Phostrip.

Radiotherapeutic treatment of a fighter pilot with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: Radiotherapy is the standard and most effective treatment for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in its early stages. However, its application in fighter pilots returning to flying duties with NPC has not been previously reported, presumably due to post-radiotherapeutic complications. CASE REPORT: A 36-yr-old male fighter pilot had a painless mass in the left neck for 5 mo. Pathological diagnosis demonstrated nonkeratinizing squamous cell carcinoma in the left nasopharynx which had metastasized to lymph nodes in the left side of the neck. He was diagnosed and staged with NPC (T1N2M0) before treatment with radiotherapy and adjuvant chemotherapy. The patient suffered from catarrhal otitis media and xerostomia after 3 mo of radiotherapy, but these symptoms resolved. After a total of 8 mo of radiotherapy, he was in remission with no evidence of tumor recurrence or metastasis. He had normal Eustachian tube, hearing, and vestibular function before and after hypobaric chamber testing and passed all flight-related physical examinations. Consequently, he was granted a medical waiver and returned to flying status in two-seat fighter aircraft, flying for 53 h in a 12-mo period. After passing all flight-related tests again, he was then allowed to fly in single-seat aircraft. At the time of submission of this article, he has flown for 147 h and remained on flying status for 26 mo. He will be monitored annually for long-term effects of radiotherapy and/or disease recurrence. CONCLUSIONS: Fighter pilots with NPC may be safely considered for medical waiver with appropriate monitoring after successful treatment.

Danshen injection mitigated the cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury by suppressing neuroinflammation via the HIF-1α/CXCR4/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Danshen injection (DI) is effective in treating cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, including ischemic stroke (IS), including IS, but its mechanism is unclear. A middle cerebral artery occlusion model was used to simulate ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in SD rats. Overexpression of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) was achieved by AAV-HIF-1α. Rats were treated with DI or saline. Neurological scores and infarction rates were assessed. I/R damage was examined by HE, 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium and Nissl stainings. Expression levels of relative proteins [TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1ß, SOD, MDA, ROS, HIF-1α, CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) and NF-κB] were measured. DI treatment improved neurological scores and reduced infarction rates, suggesting that it inhibits inflammation and oxidative stress. The expression levels of HIF-1α, CXCR4 and NF-κB were decreased. However, the effectiveness of DI on inflammation inhibition was lost after HIF-1α overexpression. DI may directly target HIF-1α to suppress neuroinflammation and reduce I/R injury by suppressing the HIF-1α/CXCR4/NF-κB signaling pathway.

Electro-optic 3D snapshot of a laser wakefield accelerated kilo-ampere electron bunch.

Laser wakefield acceleration, as an advanced accelerator concept, has attracted great attentions for its ultrahigh acceleration gradient and the capability to produce high brightness electron bunches. The three-dimensional (3D) density serves as an evaluation metric for the particle bunch quality and is intrinsically related to the applications of an accelerator. Despite its significance, this parameter has not been experimentally measured in the investigation of laser wakefield acceleration. We report on an electro-optic 3D snapshot of a laser wakefield electron bunch at a position outside the plasma. The 3D shape of the electron bunch was detected by simultaneously performing optical transition radiation imaging and electro-optic sampling. Detailed 3D structures to a few micrometer levels were reconstructed using a genetic algorithm. The electron bunch possessed a transverse size of less than 30 micrometers. The current profile shows a multi-peak structure. The main peak had a duration of < 10 fs and a peak current > 1 kA. The maximum electron 3D number density was ~ 9 × 1021 m -3. This research demonstrates a feasible way of 3D density monitoring on femtosecond kilo-ampere electron bunches, at any position of a beam transport line for relevant applications.

HIF-1α knockdown attenuates inflammation and oxidative stress in ischemic stroke male rats via CXCR4/NF-κB pathway.

BACKGROUND: Hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) is a sensitive indicator of oxygen homeostasis, of which the expression elevates following hypoxia/ischemia. This study reveals the specific mechanisms underlying the effects of HIF-1α on ischemic stroke (IS). METHODS: IS model was established using middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO)-modeled male rats and oxygen glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R)-treated mice hippocampal cells HT22, followed by the silencing of HIF-1α and the overexpression of C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB). Following the surgery, Garcia's grading scale was applied for neurological evaluation. Cerebral infarcts and injuries were visualized using 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride and hematoxylin-eosin staining. The levels of tumor necrosis factor-α, Interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1ß, malondialdehyde, and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine, were calculated via ELISA. MTT assay and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay kit were adopted to determine the viability and cytotoxicity of OGD/R-modeled cells. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation was evaluated using a 2'-7'dichlorofluorescin diacetate (DCFH-DA) probe. The levels of HIF-1α, CXCR4, and NF-κB p65 were quantified via Western blot and immunofluorescence, respectively. RESULTS: HIF-1α knockdown improved Garcia's score, attenuated the cerebral infarct, inflammation, and ROS generation, and alleviated the levels of inflammatory cytokines and CXCR4/NF-κB p65 in MCAO-modeled rats. Such effects were reversed following the overexpression of CXCR4 and NF-κB. Also, in OGD/R-treated HT22 cells, HIF-1α silencing diminished the cytotoxicity and ROS production and reduced the expressions of CXCR4/NF-κB p65, while promoting viability. However, CXCR4/NF-κB p65 overexpression did the opposite. CONCLUSION: HIF-1α knockdown alleviates inflammation and oxidative stress in IS through the CXCR4/NF-κB pathway.

Subtle magnesium liberation of self-fabricated functional filler actuates highly efficient phosphorus removal from source-separated urine by SBBR.

Domestic wastewater source-separated treatment has attracted wide attention due to the efficiency improvement of sewage treatment systems, energy saving, resource reuse, and the construction and operation cost saving of pipeline networks. Nonetheless, the excess source-separated urine still demands further harmless treatment. Sequencing batch biofilm reactor (SBBR), a new type of composite biofilm reactor developed by filling different fillers into the sequential batch reactor (SBR) reactor, has higher pollutant removal performance and simpler operation and maintenance. However, the phosphorus removal ability of the SBBR filling with conventional fillers is still limited and needs further improvement. In this study, we developed two new fillers, the self-fabricated filler A and B (SFA/SFB), and compared their source-separated urine treatment performance. Long-term treatment experimental results demonstrated that the SBBR systems with different fillers had good removal performance on the COD and TN in the influent, and the removal rate increased with the increasing HRT. However, only the SBBR system with the SFA showed excellent PO43--P and TP removal performance, with the removal rates being 83.7 ± 11.9% and 77.3 ± 13.7% when the HRT was 1 d. Microbial community analysis results indicated that no special bacteria with strong phosphorus removal ability were present on the surface of the SFA. Adsorption experimental results suggested that the SFA had better adsorption performance for phosphorus than the SFB, but it could not always have stronger phosphorus adsorption and removal performance during long-term operation due to the adsorption saturation. Through a series of characterizations such as SEM, XRD, and BET, it was found that the SFA had a looser structure due to the use of different binder and production processes, and the magnesium in the SFA gradually released and reacted with PO43- and NH4+ in the source-separated urine to form dittmarite and struvite, thus achieving efficient phosphorus removal. This study provides a feasible manner for the efficient treatment of source-separated urine using the SBBR system with self-fabricated fillers.