Response mechanism of a highly efficient partial nitritation-anammox (PN/A) process under antibiotic stress: Extracellular polymers, microbial community, and functional genes.

The Partial nitritation-Anammox (PN/A) process can be restricted when treating high ammonia nitrogen wastewater containing antibiotics. This study aims to explore the response mechanism of the PN/A process under antibiotic stress. Results showed the PN/A process achieved a nitrogen removal rate higher than 1.01 ± 0.03 kg N/m3/d under long-term sulfamethazine stress. The increase of extracellular polymers from 22.52 to 43.96 mg/g VSS was conducive to resisting antibiotic inhibitory. The increase of Denitratisoma and SM1A02 abundance as well as functional genes nirS and nirK indicated denitrifiers should play an important role in the stability of the PN/A system under sulfamethazine stress. In addition, antibiotic-resistant genes (ARGs) sul1 and intI1 significantly increased by 8.78 and 5.12 times of the initial values to maintain the resistance of PN/A process to sulfamethazine stress. This study uncovers the response mechanism of the PN/A process under antibiotic stress, offering a scientific basis and guidance for further application in the future.

Histological and transcriptomic analysis of Fance-deficient PGCs reveal the possible mechanisms of their depletion.

In brief: Fanconi anemia results in subfertility and germ cell deficiency in women. We present histological and RNA-seq analysis of Fance-deficient primordial germ cells to explore the possible mechanisms of their progressive depletion. Abstract: Primordial germ cells (PGCs) development is a subtle and complex regulatory process. Fance is an important substrate molecule necessary for the activation of the Fanconi anemia pathway, and its homozygous mutant causes massive oogonia loss as early as embryonic day 13.5 (E13.5). Here, we present histological and RNA-seq analysis of Fance-deficient PGCs to explore the possible mechanisms responsible for its progressive depletion of germ cells. In Fance-/- embryos, the reduction of PGCs was already evident at E9.5 and the progressive loss of PGCs led to the PGCs being almost exhausted at E12.5. An increase of apoptotic cells was detected among Fance-/- PGCs, which may intuitively explain their reduced number in embryos. Moreover, abnormal cell proliferation and accumulating DNA damage were detected in E12.5 Fance-/- PGCs. We identified 3026 differentially expressed genes in E12.5 Fance-/- PGCs compared to Fance+/+. KEGG pathway analysis revealed that the upregulated genes were highly associated with 'lysosome', and various metabolism pathways, whereas the downregulated genes were mainly enriched in 'cell cycle', 'oocyte meiosis', 'ribosome', and various DNA repair pathways. In addition, multiple genes of various cell death pathways were found to be differentially expressed in E12.5 Fance-/- PGCs, indicating that PGCs death in Fance-/- embryos might diverge from canonical apoptosis. These findings indicate that Fance is essential for PGCs survival and the potential mechanisms involve cell cycle regulation, DNA damage repair, cell death prevention, and by regulating lysosome and ribosome function. Our results provide an important reference for further studies.

Promoter hypermethylation analysis of host genes in cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cervical cancers on histological cervical specimens.

BACKGROUND: DNA methylation is an essential factor in the progression of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) to cervical cancer. The aim was to investigate the diagnostic value provided by methylation biomarkers of six tumor suppressor genes (ASTN1, DLX1, ITGA4, RXFP3, SOX17 and ZNF671) for cervical precancerous lesions and cervical cancer. METHODS: The histological cervical specimens of 396 cases including 93 CIN1, 99 CIN2, 93 CIN3 and 111 cervical cancers were tested for methylation-specific PCR assay (GynTect®) of score and positive rate. Among them, 66 CIN1, 93 CIN2, 87 CIN3 and 72 cervical cancers were further used for paired analysis. A chi-square test was used to analyze the difference of methylation score and positive rate in cervical specimens. The paired t-test and paired chi-square test were for analyzing the methylation score and positive rate in paired CIN and cervical cancer cases. The specificity, sensitivity, odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of the GynTect® assay for CIN2 or worse (CIN2 +) and CIN3 or worse (CIN3 +) were evaluated. RESULTS: According to the chi-square test trend, hypermethylation increased with severity of the lesions as defined by histological grading (P = 0.000). The methylation score above 1.1 was more common in CIN2 + than in CIN1. The DNA methylation scores in the paired groups of CIN1, CIN3 and cervical cancer were significant differences (P = 0.033, 0.000 and 0.000, respectively), except for CIN2 (P = 0.171). While the positive rate of GynTect® in each paired group had no difference (all P > 0.05). The positive rate of every methylation marker in the GynTect® assay showed differences in four cervical lesion groups (all P < 0.05). The specificity of GynTect® assay for detection of CIN2 + /CIN3 + were higher than high-risk human papillomavirus test. With CIN1 as a reference, the positive status of GynTect®/ZNF671 were significantly higher in CIN2 + : odds ratio (OR) 5.271/OR 13.909, and in CIN3 + : OR 11.022/OR 39.150, (all P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The promoter methylation of six tumor suppressor genes is related to the severity of cervical lesions. The GynTect® assay based on cervical specimens provides diagnostic values for detecting CIN2 + and CIN3 + .

FANCD2 promotes the malignant behavior of endometrial cancer cells and its prognostic value.

Defective DNA damage repair is a key mechanism affecting tumor susceptibility, treatment response, and survival outcome of endometrial cancer (EC). Fanconi anemia complementation group D2 (FANCD2) is the core component of the Fanconi anemia repair pathway. To explore the function of FANCD2 in EC, we examined the expression of FANCD2 in human specimens and databases, and discussed the possible mechanism of carcinogenesis by in vitro assays. Immunohistochemistry results showed overexpression of FANCD2 was detected in EC tissues compared to normal and atypical hyperplasia endometrium. Higher FANCD2 expression was correlated with deeper myometrial invasion (MI) and proficient mismatch repair status. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database analysis showed FANCD2 was upregulated in EC compared with normal tissue. The high expression of FANCD2 was associated with poor overall survival in EC. Knockdown of FANCD2 expression in EC cell lines inhibited malignant proliferation and migration ability. We demonstrated that decreased FANCD2 expression results in increased DNA damage and decreased S-phase cells, leading to a decrease in proliferative capacity in EC cells. Down-regulated FANCD2 confers sensitivity of EC cells to interstrand crosslinking agents. This study provides evidence for the malignant progression and prognostic value of FANCD2 in EC.

Improvement of analgesic efficacy for total hip arthroplasty by a modified ultrasound-guided supra-inguinal fascia iliaca compartment block.

BACKGROUND: Fascia iliaca compartment block (FICB) is an anterior approach to the lumbar plexus block and provides the effective adjunctive analgesia for total hip arthroplasty (THA). METHODS: As a case series study, 28 patients (≥ 65 years old) with THA were received a modified in-plane ultrasound-guided supra-inguinal (S-FICB) as an analgesic adjunct to evaluate the analgesic effectiveness and the local anesthetic diffusion with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). A combination of propofol and sufentanil was administered to conduct target-controlled infusion. RESULTS: The pain scores were 1 (0-4), 2 (1-5), 3 (1-6) and 3 (1-6) at 4, 8, 12, and 24 h. The cumulative opioids were 8 (8-12), 18 (16-32), 28 (24-54) and 66 (48-104) mg of i.v. morphine equivalents at 4, 8, 12, and 24 h. The patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) times were 0 (0-1), 1 (0-2), 2 (0-5) and 5 (3-8) at 4, 8, 12, and 24 h. In lateral, anterior and medial part of thigh, the sensory blockade in 28 patients was 23 (82 %), 21 (75 %) and 19 (68 %) at 5 min; 28 (100 %) at 10 and 20 min. Motor blockade of femoral nerve (FN) and obturator nerve (ON) was present in 13 (46 %) and 3 (11 %) patients at 5 min, 24 (86 %) and 9 (32 %) at 10 min, 26 (93 %) and 11 (39 %) at 20 min. Injectate permeated to the FN and extended superiorly over the surface of iliac muscle (IM) and pectineus muscle (PM) in all patients. CONCLUSIONS: The modified S-FICB has provided an effective postoperative analgesic adjunct after THA with the satisfactory blockade of femoral (FN), obturator (ON) and sciatic (SN) nerves, especially for ON, when compared with the existing techniques.

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy efficacy and prognostic factors in 187 cervical cancer patients with IB2 and IIA2 stage. / 187例IB2和IIA2æœŸå®«é¢ˆç™Œæ–°è¾ åŠ©åŒ–ç–—ç–—æ•ˆåŠé¢„åŽçš„å½±å“å› ç´ .

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the efficacy and prognostic factors for patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) before operation in stage IB2 and IIA2 cervical cancer. METHODS: A total of 187 patients with IB2 and IIA2 cervical cancer who received NACT combined surgery from January 2005 to January 2016 were enrolled. All patients were divided into an effective group (n=142) and an ineffective group (n=45) according to the chemotherapy efficacy. Clinical characteristics (containing tumor diameter, hematological inflammatory indexes, etc.) before chemotherapy and postoperative pathology between the two groups were compared. Patient survival analysis was performed by Kaplan-Meier method. The methods of univariate and multifactor analysis were used to analyze the relationship between NACT curative effect, postoperative pathological factors, and survival of patients. RESULTS: The number of patients with tumor diameter less than 5 cm was more in the chemotherapy effective group than that in the ineffective group (P=0.015). Three hematological inflammatory indexes (systemic inflammatory response index, neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio, and monocyte-lymphocyte ratio) in the effective group were lower than those in the ineffective group, respectively (P<0.05). The rates of pelvic lymph node metastasis and cervical deep myometrial invasion in the effective group were lower than those in the ineffective group (P<0.05). The 3-year and 5-year overall survival of NACT patients were 92.6% and 82.9%, respectively. Univariate analysis showed that chemotherapy efficacy, hematological inflammatory indexes, pelvic lymph node metastasis, and cervical deep myometrial invasion were related to the survival of patients (P<0.05). Further multivariate analysis demonstrated that pelvic lymph node metastasis was an independent risk factor for survival of patients (P<0.001), whereas effective NACT treatment was a protective factor for survival of patients (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Tumor diameter and hematologic inflammation indexes before treatment are the relevant factors for NACT efficacy in patients with IB2 and IIA2 cervical cancer. Chemotherapy efficacy and pelvic lymph node metastasis are prognostic factors for NACT patients.

Effect of parthanatos on ropivacaine-induced damage in SH-SY5Y cells.

Ropivacaine is one of the most common but toxic local anaesthetics, and the mechanisms underlying its neurotoxicity are still largely unknown. This study was conducted to prepare a ropivacaine-induced neuronal injury model and research the effects of ropivacaine on PARP-1 activation and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD)+ depletion. The cell death and apoptosis of ropivacaine-induced SH-SY5Y cells were detected with flow cytometry. The lactate dehydrogenase cycling reaction measured the NAD+ level, and western blots were used to analyze the expression levels of PARP-1 and apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) after ropivacaine treatments with different concentrations and durations. A PARP-1 inhibitor (PJ-34) was used to confirm the relationship between PARP-1 activation and NAD+ depletion. Hoechst 33258 nuclear staining and a mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) assay were used to detect the role of exogenous NAD+ in ropivacaine-induced neuronal injury. Ropivacaine-induced SH-SY5Y cell death and apoptosis, PARP-1 activation, and AIF increase as well as intracellular NAD+ depletion occurred in a time- and concentration-dependent manner (P<.05). PARP-1 activation led to NAD+ depletion (P<.05). Exogenous NAD+ impaired ropivacaine-induced nuclear injury (P<.05). Ropivacaine treatment induced PARP-1 activation and NAD+ depletion (P<.05). Parthanatos (PARP-1-dependent cell death) was definitely involved in ropivacaine-induced neuronal injury, and exogenous NAD+ may be a novel therapeutic method for parthanatos-dependent neuronal injury.

A proof-of-concept study of ultrasound-guided continuous parasacral ischial plane block for postoperative pain control in patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: Continuous peripheral nerve blocks are widely used for anesthesia and postoperative analgesia in lower limb surgeries. The authors aimed to develop a novel continuous sacral plexus block procedure for analgesia during total knee arthroplasty. METHODS: The study comprised two stages. In Stage I, the authors built upon previous theories and technological innovations to develop a novel continuous sacral plexus block method, ultrasound-guided continuous parasacral ischial plane block (UGCPIPB) and subsequently conducted a proof-of-concept study to assess its effectiveness and feasibility. Stage II involved a historical control study to compare clinical outcomes between patients undergoing this new procedure and those receiving the conventional procedure. RESULTS: The study observed a 90% success rate in catheter placement. On postoperative day (POD) 1, POD2, and POD3, the median visual analog scale (VAS) scores were 3 (range, 1.5-3.5), 2.5 (1.6-3.2), and 2.7 (1.3-3.4), respectively. Furthermore, 96.3% of the catheters remained in place until POD3, as confirmed by ultrasound. The study revealed a significant increase in skin temperature and peak systolic velocity of the anterior tibial artery on the blocked side compared with those on the non-blocked side. Complications included catheter clogging in one patient and leakage at the insertion site in two patients. In Stage II, the novel technique was found to be more successful than conventional techniques, with a lower catheter displacement rate than the conventional procedure for continuous sciatic nerve block. CONCLUSION: UGCPIPB proved to be an effective procedure and safe for analgesia in total knee arthroplasty. CHINESE CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRY NUMBER: ChiCTR2300068902.

Reduced FANCE Confers Genomic Instability and Malignant Behavior by Regulating Cell Cycle Progression in Endometrial Cancer.

Introduction: Fanconi anemia complementation group E (FANCE) is a subunit of fanconi anemia (FA) pathway and plays a key role in repairing DNA interstrand cross-links (ICLs) damage. We investigate detailed functions and mechanisms of FANCE in endometrial cancer (EC). Methods: FANCE protein and RNA expression in EC and non-cancerous tissues were detected by Western blotting (WB), immunohistochemistry (IHC), and real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays. Using lentiviral transfection and siRNA interference techniques, we constructed overexpressing FANCE (OE-FANCE) and FANCE-knockdown (FANCE-KD) EC cells. We then investigated DNA damage repair capacity of FANCE in EC cells including comet assay and γH2AX immunofluorescence assay. In vitro assays including CCK8, EDU and colony formation for chemoresistance and proliferation, transwell assay for metastasis were performed. Flow cytometer assay, cell cycle synchronization for cell cycle progression and EC cells RNA sequencing were determined. Finally, in vivo mouse models were used to detect tumor growth. Results: We found FANCE RNA and protein expression was significantly decreased in endometrioid adenocarcinoma (EAC) compared with normal and atypical hyperplasia endometrium. FANCE promoted the repair of ICL damage and double-strand break (DSB) in OE-FANCE EC cells. Furthermore, FANCE increased drug resistance in OE-FANCE EC cells by upregulating FA pathway and homologous recombination (HR) associated proteins. FANCE inhibited cell proliferation and metastasis through G2/M cell cycle arrest in vitro and vivo. FANCE participated in regulating several pathways. Conclusion: The study demonstrates the reduction of FANCE expression leads to genomic instability, thereby promoting the development of EC by regulating cell cycle.

[Effects of moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) expansion on soil microbial community in evergreen broad-leaved forest]. / æ¯›ç«¹æ‰©å¼ å¯¹å¸¸ç»¿é˜”å¶æž—åœŸå£¤å¾®ç”Ÿç‰©ç¾¤è½çš„å½±å“.

The special eco-physiological characteristics of moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) facilitate their fast invasion in nature ecosystems. The widespread expansion of moso bamboo causes degradation of adjacent forest ecosystem and change of landscape, as well as soil properties and microbial community composition. However, how moso bamboo expansion affects soil microbial composition is far from fully understood. Herein, we selected four moso bamboo expansion transects with three forest types at the Anji Lingfeng temple forest farm, Zhejiang Province, including evergreen broadleaved forest (BLF), mixed P. edulis and broadleaved forest (MEF) and P. edulis forest (PEF). We examined the effects of moso bamboo expansion on soil properties and soil microbial phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs). Our results showed that soil pH was higher in moso bamboo forest than in MEF and BLF by 0.37 and 0.32 unit. In contrast, soil organic carbon, ammonium, and nitrate contents significantly decreased. Biomass of soil microbial groups displayed a decreasing trend except arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, and the microbial richness index (SR) and diversity index (H) decreased significantly. In summary, moso bamboo expansion affected soil nutrient and carbon inputs, which was an important factor affecting soil microbial community structure. Results of redundancy analysis showed that changes of soil organic carbon and ammonium content were the main factors driving soil microbial community.

Oral, Nasal, and Gut Microbiota in Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most frequently diagnosed neurodegenerative disease. The purpose of this study was to investigate the link between microbiota composition in important mucosal interfaces (oral, nasal, and intestinal) and PD. Sequencing was undertaken of the V4-V5 region of the 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene of the microbiome from the oral cavity, nasal cavity, and gut of 91 PD patients and 91 healthy controls. Significant differences were found in microbiota composition in the oral cavity and gut, but not the nasal cavity, between PD patients and healthy controls after adjusting for age, gender, and body mass index (BMI). More genera in the oral cavity were significantly positively correlated with clinical characteristics, such as the HAMA and HAMD rating scales. The taxa c_Clostridia, o_Clostridiales, and f_Ruminococcaceae in the gut microbiota were associated with weight and MMSE score. Furthermore, as a result of dysbiosis, there was an enrichment of ion channel-, oxidative phosphorylation-, and carbohydrate metabolism-related pathways in the oral cavity and glycolysis/gluconeogenesis- and propanoate metabolism-related pathways in the intestine. Changes in these pathways can influence metabolism and inflammation, thereby contributing to PD pathogenesis. In addition, several subnetworks containing differentially abundant microbiota in the oral cavity and gut samples from PD patients may regulate microbial composition and function in PD. Overall, our results indicate that oral and gut dysbiosis may affect PD progression and provide a basis for understanding the pathogenesis of PD and identifying potential therapeutic targets for the treatment of this disease.

Dexmedetomidine suppresses bupivacaine-induced parthanatos in human SH-SY5Y cells via the miR-7-5p/PARP1 axis-mediated ROS.

This study aims to explore the regulatory mechanisms of dexmedetomidine in parthanatos. MTT assay was applied to reveal cell viability; JC-1 staining assay was utilized to reveal mitochondrial membrane potential. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) probe, DCFH-DA, was used to detect intracellular ROS production. Luciferase activity assay was applied to measure the binding between miR-7-5p and PARP1. We first identified that bupivacaine inhibited the viability and induced the parthanatos of human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. In addition, dexmedetomidine, a potent α2-adrenoceptor agonist, reversed the regulatory effect of bupivacaine on parthanatos of SH-SY5Y. More importantly, dexmedetomidine counteracted bupivacaine-induced changes of mitochondrial membrane potential and ROS production in SH-SY5Y cells. Hyper-activation of PARP1 plays a vital role in parthanatos. Further exploration of our study identified that bupivacaine triggered overexpression of PARP1 in SH-SY5Y cells. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that miR-7-5p targeted the 3' untranslated region (3' UTR) of PARP1 to inhibit PARP1 expression. In addition, dexmedetomidine recovered the suppressive effects of bupivacaine on miR-7-5p expression. Dexmedetomidine suppressed bupivacaine-induced parthanatos in SH-SY5Y cells via the miR-7-5p/PARP1 axis, which may shed a new insight into parthanatos-dependent neuronal injury.

Comparing the minimum local anesthetic dose of ropivacaine in real-time ultrasound-guided spinal anesthesia and traditional landmark-guided spinal anesthesia: a randomized controlled trial of knee surgery patients.

BACKGROUND: Through previous studies and clinical practice, we have found that real-time ultrasound-guided (UG) spinal anesthesia (SA) and traditional landmark-guided (LG) SA each require a different minimum local anesthetic dose (MLAD) of ropivacaine. For this study, we used Dixon's up-and-down sequential method to analyze and compare the MLAD of different ropivacaine concentrations required for the UG and LG SA methods. METHODS: A total of 120 patients undergoing knee surgery were consecutively recruited and randomly divided into four groups (30 patients per group). These groups were categorized as follows: Group I: high ropivacaine ultrasound-guided (HRUG), Group II: low ropivacaine ultrasound-guided (LRUG), Group III: high ropivacaine landmark-guided (HRLG), and Group IV: low ropivacaine landmark-guided (LRLG). SA was established by a bolus administration of up-and-down doses of 0.75% or 0.5% plain ropivacaine. Initial doses of 16, 18, 12, and 14 mg were administered to groups I-IV, and after that, increased or decreased by 1.5 mg according to dose effectiveness. Upon identifying the intervertebral puncture level, a lumbar X-ray was performed with metal markers, and actual radiographic findings were identified and compared to the initial markings. RESULTS: For UG groups, the MLAD in the LRUG group was significantly higher than in the HRUG group [20.192 mg (95% CI, 19.256-21.174) versus 17.176 mg (95% CI, 16.276-18.124), respectively; P<0.001]. For LG groups, the MLAD in the LRLG group was significantly higher than in the HLRG group [14.478 mg (95% CI, 13.364-15.500) versus 13.201 mg (95% CI, 11.959-14.571), respectively; P=0.047]. When comparing both high ropivacaine groups (HRGs: I/III) to the low ropivacaine groups (LRGs: II/IV), we found that both UG subgroups (I/II) had a significantly higher MLAD than LG subgroups (III/IV) (P<0.001). US identified L4-5 in up to 90% of cases. Comparatively, palpation was successful in only 33.3% of patients. The rates of cephalad localization by US and palpation were 6.67% vs. 66.67%, respectively (P=0.002). CONCLUSIONS: We found a higher MLAD of ropivacaine was required for UG SA at the L4-5 level due to the method providing a more accurate (less cephalad) localization than traditional LG SA. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2000033158.

Diagnostic value of four neuroendocrine markers in small cell neuroendocrine carcinomas of the cervix: a meta-analysis.

Small cell neuroendocrine carcinoma of the cervix (SCNECC) is a highly invasive cervical cancer. The immunohistochemical criteria is an important aspect for assistant diagnosis of SCNECC. However, which markers can be appropriate selection for diagnosing SCNECC were not determined. The aim was to systematically evaluate expression levels of four neuroendocrine markers (containing synaptophysin (Syn), neural cell adhesion molecules (CD56), neuron-specific enolase (NSE) and chromograninA (CgA)) and to find out the appropriate selection for diagnosing SCNECC. Four English and three Chinese libraries were retrieved between 1984 and 2020. 23 studies about NSE, 36 studies about Syn, 23 studies about CD56 and 36 studies about CgA (all studies containing 581 patients) were eligible for meta-analyses. The pooled positive expression percentages (95% CI; I2) were as follows: 84.84% (79.41-90.27%; 76.7%) for Syn, 84.53% (79.43-89.96%; 37.5%) for CD56, 77.94% (69.13-86.76%; 83.5%) for NSE, and 72.90% (67.40-78.86%; 59.7%) for CgA. The positive proportions (95% CI; I2) ranked top three of simultaneous expressions of two markers were 87.75% (82.03-93.87%, 33.3%) for Syn and CD56, 70.92% (50.50-87.68%, 82.7%) for Syn and NSE, 65.65% (53.33-76.98%, 73.5%) for Syn and CgA. This confirms that Syn and CD56 are reliable indicators for diagnosing SCNECC.

A simple and large-scale strategy for the preparation of Ag nanoparticles supported on resin-derived carbon and their antibacterial properties.

A simple strategy was developed for preparing stable Ag nanoparticles supported on carbon by carbonizing Ag(+)/acrylic acid type ion-exchange resin complexes under N(2) atmosphere. The products were characterized by x-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and UV-visible absorption spectroscopy. The results indicated that the Ag nanoparticles were well dispersed on the surface of carbon, and their size could be regulated by tuning the carbonization temperature. The antibacterial assay showed that the Ag/C composites possess good antibacterial properties that are determined largely by the Ag particle size. Furthermore, the composites are very stable and they do not show obviously change even after storing at ambient conditions for more than one year.

A high-nuclearity complex containing a decanuclear iron(iii)/oxo cage in a football-like structure and rare (R-/S)-hemiacetalate ligands in a butterfly-like format.

A challenge in the field of high nuclearity Fe(iii)/oxo cluster chemistry remains the development of new synthetic methods to such molecules. In this work, the employment of pyridine-2-carboxaldehyde (py-2-al) in high-nuclearity transition-metal cluster chemistry has provided access to an unprecedented decanuclear iron(iii) complex, [Fe10(NO3)7(O)6(OH0.5)2((S)-py-hemi)4((R)-py-hemi)4]·4H2O (1) ((R-/S)-py-hemi = (R-/S)-pyridine-2-carboxaldehyde hemiacetalate). The synthesis, beautiful structure and the physical characterization (thermal gravimetric analysis, X-ray powder diffraction, proton nuclear magnetic resonance, magnetic susceptibility) of complex 1 are described in this contribution. Complex 1 provides a new route to obtain high nuclearity magnetic clusters with beautiful structures.

Identification of herb Acanthopanax senticosus (Rupr. Et Maxim.) harms by capillary electrophoresis with electrochemical detection.

In this paper, a rapid, high efficient, sensitive and inexpensive approach based on a combination of simple ultrasonic extract and capillary electrophoresis (CE) separation with electrochemical detection (ED), is described to identify herbs by comparing their CE-ED profiles (namely, CE-ED electropherograms). The proposed method takes advantage of ultra-small sample volume, low consumption of organic solvent, simple sample pretreatment and easy cleanup procedure. It was applied to analyze the CE-ED profiles of stems of herb Acanthopanax senticosus (Rupr. Et Maxim.) Harms from different sources and different parts (roots, rhizomes, stems and leaves) of this herb. By comparing peak number, peak height and peak height ratio, we found that the CE-ED profiles showed big differences for the herbs from the different sources and the different parts of this herb. In addition, the distribution of bioactive compounds (isofraxidin, rutin and chlorogenic acid) in the different parts of this herb and their content variations affected by the source were studied with the CE-ED method. Based on their own unique CE-ED profiles, these herbs from the different sources and the different parts of this herb could be easily distinguished. Therefore, the proposed approach could be used as a rapid, high efficient and sensitive method for the identification of herbal medicines.

Analysis of nephroloxic and carcinogenic aristolochic acids in Aristolochia plants by capillary electrophoresis with electrochemical detection at a carbon fiber microdisk electrode.

Aristolochic acids (AAs) are the main bioactive ingredients in the most of Aristolochia plants, which are used to make dietary supplements, slimming pills and Traditional Chinese Medicines (TCMs). Excessive ingestion of AAs can lead to serious nephropathy. Therefore, quantitative analysis and quality control for the plants containing AAs is of great importance. In this paper, capillary electrophoresis (CE) with electrochemical detection (ED) at a 33 microm carbon fiber microdisk electrode (CFE) has been applied to detect AA-I and AA-II in Aristolochia plants. Under the optimum conditions: detection potential at 1.20 V, 2.0 x 10(-2) mol L(-1) phosphate buffer solution (PBS) (pH 10.0), injection time 25 s at a height of 17 cm and separation voltage at 12.5 kV, the AA-I and AA-II were baseline separated within 5 min. Low detection limits for AA-I and AA-II were 4.0 x 10(-8) mol L(-1) and 1.0 x 10(-7) mol L(-1), respectively. Wide linear ranges were from 4.0 x 10(-8) mol L(-1) to 1.9 x 10(-5) mol L(-1) and 1.0 x 10(-7) mol L(-1) to 5.0 x 10(-5) mol L(-1) for AA-I and AA-II, respectively. The proposed method has been successfully applied to analyze AAs contents in plant extracts. The results indicated that the contents of AAs in each part of Aristolochia debilis Sieb. Et Zucc. plant were different. Meanwhile, the CE-ED method was utilized for fingerprint analysis of medicine herbs. Six herbs (Radix aristolochiae, Fructus aristolochiae, Herba aristolochiae, Caulis aristolochiae manshuriensis, Caulis clematidis armandii, Caulis akebiae) were well distinguished by comparing their electropherograms obtained by CE-ED method.