Research on the Properties of Wasteforms after Direct Involvement of Uranium-Containing Silica Gel in Glass Network Formation.

Uranium-containing silica gel (UCSG) is a secondary waste generated during the advanced treatment of nuclear wastewater. In order to reduce the growing storage pressure for UCSG, from the perspective of building a borosilicate glass network, UCSG was used to replace SiO2 in the glass-cured formula to directly achieve the immobilization of UCSG. SEM-EDS results showed that uranium was uniformly distributed in the matrix, and the maximum solid solubility of UCSG (two components: silica gel and uranyl ions) in the formula was as high as 55 wt %. At the same time, TG-MS proved that silica gel lost OH groups (down about 4.61 wt %) and formed Si-O-Si bond by condensation. FT-IR and XPS proved a change in the number of Si-O-Si bond, and new Si-O-B and Si-O-Al bond appeared on the spectrum. This was evidence that silica gel could self-involved participate in the construction of glass networks. EPR analysis obtained the changes in the coordination environment of U atom, the U atom decreased spin electrons number in the glass than in uranyl crystals. The glass also has good physical properties (hardness: 6.51 ± 0.23 GPa; density: 2.3977 ± 0.0056 g/cm3) and chemical durability (normalized leaching rate: LRU = 2.34 × 10-4 ± 2.05 × 10-6 g·m2·days-1 after 42 days), this research provided tactics for simple treatment of uranium-containing silica gel in one step.

Experimentally and Theoretically Revealing the Co-Doping Effects of Ce-Sr in Gd2Zr2O7.

To safely dispose radioactive waste (including, e.g., thorium and radiostrontium), Ce4+ and Sr2+ were chosen as simulated surrogates of α and ß waste and were introduced into the Gd3+ site in Gd2Zr2O7 to maintain the average cationic radius and to compensate for charge. A series of Gd2-xSrx/2Cex/2Zr2O7 (0.00 ≤ x ≤ 0.25) compounds were examined by experimental and theoretical calculations to investigate the co-doping effects of α and ß waste in a Gd2Zr2O7-based matrix. The effects of Ce4+ and Sr2+ content on the phase, unit cell parameters, active modes, mechanical property, and microstructure were studied systematically. Moreover, the limit of incorporation of Ce4+ and Sr2+ in Gd2Zr2O7 pyrochlore and the lattice parameters were also calculated through virtual crystal approximation theory, and the results were found to well agree with experimental results.

Chemotherapy-associated hepatotoxicity in colorectal cancer.

Chemotherapy-associated hepatotoxicity in liver metastatic colorectal cancer is attracting more and more attention for clinicians. This hepatotoxicity heralds an increased risk of morbidity and mortality in patients with colorectal liver metastases, therefore it is important that clinicians have an adequate knowledge of the chemotherapy-associated hepatotoxicity.

Complexation of neutral 1,4-dihalobutanes with simple pillar[5]arenes that is dominated by dispersion forces.

The complexation of neutral 1,4-dihalobutanes with simple pillar[5]arenes was investigated. The results indicate the formation of interpenetrated complexes, where the dispersive interactions dominate the complex stability. Typically, 1,4-diiodobutane displays the strongest binding strength with ethylpillar[5]arene [K(a) = (1.0 ± 0.1) × 10(4) M(-1)], up to 120 fold as compared with 1,4-difluorobutane.

Complexation of 1,4-bis(pyridinium)butanes by negatively charged carboxylatopillar[5]arene.

The binding behavior of substituted 1,4-bis(pyridinium)butane derivatives (X-Py(CH(2))(4)Py-X, X = H, 2-methyl, 3-methyl, 4-methyl, 2,6-dimethyl, 4-pyridyl, and 4-COOEthyl) 1(2+)-7(2+), with negatively charged carboxylatopillar[5]arene (CP5A) has been comprehensively investigated by (1)H NMR and 2D ROESY and UV absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy in aqueous phosphate buffer solution (pH 7.2). The results indicated that the position of the substituents attached on pyridinium ring dramatically affects the association constants and binding modes. 3- and 4-Substituted guests (1(2+), 3(2+), 4(2+), 6(2+), 7(2+)) form [2]pseudorotaxane geometries with CP5A host, giving very large association constants (>10(5) M(-1)), while 2,6-dimethyl-substituted 5(2+) forms external complex with relatively small K(a) values [(2.4 ± 0.3) × 10(3) M(-1)] because the 2,6-dimethylpyridinium unit is too bulky to thread the host cavity. Both of the binding geometries mentioned above are observed for 2(2+), having one methyl group in the 2-position of pyridinium. Typically, the association constant of [2]pseudorotaxane 1(2+)⊂CP5A exceeds 10(6) M(-1) in water, which is significantly higher than those of previously reported analogues in organic solvents. The remarkably improved complexation of bis(pyridinium) guests by the anionic host was due to electrostatic attraction forces and hydrophobic interactions.

Heavy-ion irradiation effects on uranium-contaminated soil for nuclear waste.

In the field of radioactive waste immobilization, the investigation of irradiation stability is of considerable importance. In this study, uranium-contaminated soil samples were irradiated by 1.5 MeV Xe20+ ions with fluences ranging from 1 × 1012 to 1 × 1015 ions/cm2. Xe20+ heavy-ion radiation was used to simulate the self-irradiation of actinide nuclides. The uranium-contaminated soil samples were sintered via microwaves. Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction results showed that irradiation can cause crystallization of the sample. After irradiation, the Vickers hardness of the samples decreased slightly. Comparative analysis showed that the sample had good radiation resistance, and the leaching rate (28 d) of the sample increased slightly after irradiation, but the overall performance was stable. Our investigation reveals the corresponding mechanism of uranium-contaminated soil irradiation of 1.5 MeV Xe20+ ions.

Rapid solidification of Sr-contaminated soil by consecutive microwave sintering: mechanism and stability evaluation.

Consecutive microwave sintering is a method proposed in this study to dispose soil contaminated by Sr during a nuclear accident by rapidly solidifying the contaminated soil. The results show that soil contaminated with 20 wt% SrSO4 and 30 wt% SrSO4 can be completely solidified by microwave sintering at 1100-1200 and 1300 â„ƒ, respectively, for 30 min. Sr was found to be cured into slawsonite (SrAl2Si2O8) and glass structures. Moreover, soil sintered at 1300 â„ƒ has large cured solubility (30 wt.%), good uniformity, and excellent hardness (6.9-7.2 GPa) and chemical durability (below 1.46 × 10-5 g m-2 d-1 at 28 d). Thus, consecutive microwave sintering technology may provide a new method for treating Sr-contaminated soil in case of a nuclear accident emergency.

Low-sintering-temperature borosilicate glass to immobilize silver-coated silica-gel with different iodine loadings.

To better deal with the radioactive iodine generated during the development of nuclear energy, B2O3, Bi2O3, ZnO, and SiO2 were used to sinter borosilicate glass for the immobilization of iodine. The effect of B2O3 on glass formation was discussed by changing the molar ratio of B2O3 in the matrix. When B2O3 content is 50 mol% and sintering temperature is 600 ℃, the amorphous degree of quaternary glass is the highest. The sintered body with the highest degree of amorphous was selected to study radioactive iodine. Then, the effects of different iodine loading concentrations for sintering borosilicate glass in terms of microstructure and phase change were discussed. With the increase in iodine content on silica-gel, the degree of amorphous of the specimens presented a decreasing trend, and there are obvious SiO2 peaks. When the content was 20 wt.%-30 wt.%, a large number of new phases were generated. When the iodine content is 20 wt.%, in addition to the enrichment of Si and O elements, the elemental distribution for B, Bi, Zn, I, and Ag was even. TEM results also showed that there was a crystalline phase in the sinter.

Long non-coding RNA NEAT1 promotes human glioma tumor progression via miR-152-3p/CCT6A pathway.

BACKGROUND: Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) nuclear enriched abundant transcript 1 (NEAT1) has been documented to implicate in diverse tumor progression. However, the mechanism of NEAT1 in glioma was rarely reported. METHODS: The levels of NEAT1, microRNA-152-3p (miR-152-3p) and chaperonin containing TCP1 subunit 6A (CCT6A) in glioma tissues and cells were measured by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The cell viability, apoptotic rate, the migrated and invaded abilities of A172 and U251 cells were evaluated via cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8), flow cytometry and Transwell assay, respectively. The mice xenograft model was constructed to further verify the effect of NEAT1. The interactions between miR-152-3p and NEAT1 or CCT6A were predicted by starBase v2.0 or TargetScan, then luciferase reporter assay, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP) and RNA pull-down assay were performed to validate the interaction. The protein level of CCT6A was detected by Western blot assay. RESULTS: The levels of NEAT1, CCT6A were highly expressed, but miR-152-3p was decreased in glioma tissues and cells. NEAT1 depletion or miR-152-3p mimics suppressed cell viability, migrated and invaded abilities but induced apoptotic rate in A172 and U251 cells, while the introduction of CCT6A partly counteracted these impacts. In addition, NEAT1 silencing impeded xenograft tumor growth in vivo. MiR-152-3p was verified as a direct target of NEAT1 and directly targeted CCT6A. CCT6A expression was upregulated by NEAT1 and reversed by miR-152-3p. CONCLUSION: NEAT1 enhanced glioma progression, partially through miR-152-3p/CCT6A pathway. The novel regulatory network might contribute to the diagnosis and treatment of glioma.

Oligo(para-phenylenes)s-Oligoarginine Conjugates as Effective Antibacterial Agents with High Plasma Stability and Low Hemolysis.

Bacterial infections have become a global threat to human health, and the design of antibacterial agents is always an urgent task for biomedicine. Amphiphilic antibacterial agents with a different mechanism of action from traditional antibiotics have attracted researchers' attention more and more in recent years. In this work, a series of antibacterial conjugates composed of oligo(para-phenylenes)s and oligoarginine were synthesized, and their antibacterial activity was investigated. 2,2'-Biphenyl, 2,2″-terphenyl, and 2,2‴-quaterphenyl were conjugated with one or two triarginines by "click" chemical reactions to form compounds. The conjugates showed antibacterial activity against the typical Gram-negative (Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) bacteria, relatively low cytotoxicity to L929 cell line, and hemolytic activity in a certain range of concentration. Among these conjugates, 2,2‴-quaterphenyl-triarginine conjugate (2,2‴-QP-1) showed the highest antibacterial activity against both E. coli and S. aureus. Besides, it presented better stability in plasma compared with the positive control peixiganan. The antimicrobial mechanism of 2,2‴-QP-1 was also investigated by transmission electron microscopy and confocal laser scanning microscopy, showing that 2,2‴-QP-1 could interact with the bacterial membrane and then disrupt the membrane structure. This work demonstrated a prospective approach for the design of antibacterial agents with highly effective antibacterial activity, high stability in plasma, and low cytotoxicity.

[Study on quality changes of Radix Aconiti Lateralis Praeparata under different storage conditions].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the changes of the content of water, soluble protein, total alkaloids, polysaccharides of Radix Aconiti Lateralis Praeparata under different storage treatments. METHODS: The experiment was conducted in 4 kinds of storage methods, such as sack storage, sand storage, cold storage, and the natural heap as the control. RESULTS: During storage, the content of water, total alkaloids and polysaccharides tended to decline, while the content of soluble protein increased. CONCLUSION: Compared with the others, the cold storage is most suitable for keeping good quality of Radix Aconiti Lateralis Praeparata.

Long noncoding RNA: multiple players in gene expression.

Previously considered as a component of transcriptional noise, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) were neglected as a therapeutic target, however, recently increasing evidence has shown that lncRNAs can participate in numerous biological processes involved in genetic regulation including epigenetic, transcriptional, and post-transcriptional regulation. In this review, we discuss the fundamental functions of lncRNAs at different regulatory levels and their roles in metabolic balance. Typical examples are introduced to illustrate their diverse molecular mechanisms. The comprehensive investigation and identification of key lncRNAs will not only contribute to insights into diseases, such as breast cancer and type II diabetes, but also provide promising therapeutic targets for related diseases. [BMB Reports 2018; 51(6): 280-289].

Heavy-ion irradiation effects on U3O8 incorporated Gd2Zr2O7 waste forms.

In this research, the heavy-ion irradiation effects of U-bearing Gd2Zr2O7 ceramics were explored for nuclear waste immobilization. U3O8 was designed to be incorporated into Gd2Zr2O7 from two different routes in the form of (Gd1-4xU2x)2(Zr1-xUx)2O7 (x = 0.1, 0.14). The self-irradiation of actinide nuclides was simulated by Xe20+ heavy-ion radiation under different fluences. Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) analysis reveals the relationship between radiation dose, damage and depth. The radiation tolerance is promoted with the increment of U3O8 content in the discussed range. Raman spectroscopy testifies the enhancement of radiation tolerance and microscopically existed phase evolution from the chemical bond vibrations. In addition, the microstructure and elemental distribution of the irradiated samples were analyzed as well. The amorphization degree of the sample surface declines as the U content was elevated from x = 0.1 to x = 0.14.

Rapid immobilization of simulated radioactive soil waste by microwave sintering.

A rapid and efficient method is particularly necessary in the timely disposal of seriously radioactive contaminated soil. In this paper, a series of simulated radioactive soil waste containing different contents of neodymium oxide (3-25wt.%) has been successfully vitrified by microwave sintering at 1300°C for 30min. The microstructures, morphology, element distribution, density and chemical durability of as obtained vitrified forms have been analyzed. The results show that the amorphous structure, homogeneous element distribution, and regular density improvement are well kept, except slight cracks emerge on the magnified surface for the 25wt.% Nd2O3-containing sample. Moreover, all the vitrified forms exhibit excellent chemical durability, and the leaching rates of Nd are kept as ∼10-4-10-6g/(m2day) within 42days. This demonstrates a potential application of microwave sintering in radioactive contaminated soil disposal.

Multi-elements determination in medical and edible Alpinia oxyphylla and Morinda officinalis and their decoctions by ICP-MS.

Contents of twenty elements (Mg, K, Ca, Na, Fe, Al, Zn, Ba, Mn, Cu, Mo, Cr, Ni, As, Se, Cd, Hg, Tl, Pb and V) in two medical and edible plant species, Alpinia oxyphylla and Morinda officinalis were simultaneously determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) method after microwave digestion with HNO3-H2O2 (6:1, v/v) as the digestion solvent. Certified standard reference material Poplar leaf was used to assess the accuracy of the method. The greatest contents of Mg, K, Ca, Al, Fe and Na were found in dried Alpinia oxyphylla and Morinda officinalis samples. The contents of five heavy metals including Pb, Cd, As, Hg and Cu in Alpinia oxyphylla did not exceed the limits. The contents of Pb in 76.67% samples and Cd in two batches of Morinda officinalis samples exceeded the limits set by Chinese Pharmacopeia. The contents of the selected elements in different parts (leaves, stems, roots and fruits) of Alpinia oxyphylla varied considerably. The highest concentrations of Mg, Ca, Mn and Se were found in the leaves of Alpinia oxyphylla, at the same time, while, the contents of 9 elements including Cd, Cr, Cu, As, Pb in the roots were the highest. The transfer ratios of selected elements from both species of herbs into their decoctions were reduced. Especially for the heavy metals, the transfer ratios were below 30% except As (79.73%) in Morinda officinalis. The results showed that decoction of the samples may reduce the intake of heavy metals.

[Analysis of Risk Factors and Therapeutic Strategies for Relapse of Leukemia after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the risk factors of patients with relapsed leukemia after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and to explore the therapeutic strategies for recurrence. METHODS: The Cox proportional hazard regression model was used for univariate and multivariate analysis of transplantation-related index, a single center retrospective study of clinical data of 202 cases of leukemia received allo-HSCT from March 2004 to October 2014 had been conducted to screen the risk factors for recurrence after transplantation. RESULTS: In the leukemia patients received allo-HSCT, 68 cases relapsed. The relapse rate was 33.6%. The median time of relapse was 4(1.5-26 ) months. Univariate analysis indicated that there were 5 risk factors related with the disease relapse(P<0.05), including the type of disease, extramedullary disease prior to transplant, the course of induced remission, the status of disease at HSCT and chronic graft versus host disease(cGVHD). Multivariate analysis showed that extramedullary disease prior to transplant(RR=2.622, 95%CI 1.139-6.037), the course of induced remission(RR=1.156, 95%CI 0.682-1.957), cGVHD (RR=1.728,95%CI 0.999-2.991) were independent risk factors for relapse of the patients received transplantation. Treatment strategies for the relapsed patients included withdraw immunosuppressant, donor lymphocyte infusion, systemic chemotherapy and local radiotherapy, targeted therapy, and second transplantation. Individualized choice was needed according to the relapsed site. The relapse-related mortality was 25.2%. CONCLUSION: The relapsed patients with leukemia after allo-HSCT have poor prognosis, early interference has good effect. The evaluation and prevention of risk factors before transplantation is even more important.

Efficacy of pegaspargase in extra nodal natural killer/T-cell lymphoma nasal type: A case report from China.

Extranodal natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type, is a rare and highly aggressive disease with a grim prognosis. There is no known satisfactory treatment. The author herein to report one case of L-asparaginase extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma primary treated with L-asparaginase methotrexate and dexamethasone.

Novel binding regioselectivity in the interpenetration of a non-symmetric axle into a non-symmetric pillar[5]arene wheel.

We describe the regioselective complexation of a non-symmetric 5-bromovaleronitrile axle by a non-symmetric pillar[5]arene bearing different alkyl (methyl and pentyl) rims, forming an oriented interpenetrated complex with the directionality of CN@methyl rim and Br@pentyl rim.

Molecular selective binding of basic amino acids by a water-soluble pillar[5]arene.

Highly selective binding of basic amino acids, i.e. lysine, arginine, and histidine, by a negatively charged carboxylatopillar[5]arene (CP5A) is reported. And the complexation behavior of the CP5A host towards lysine metabolites including cadaverine (Cad), acetyl-l-lysine (AcLys) and trimethyl-l-lysine (TMLys) is also described.

Cervical metastasis of esophagogastric junction cancer.

As cervical metastases in esophagogastric junction cancer are extremely rare, the authors herein report a case. A 63-year-old woman presented with dysphagia since 6 months. Diagnostic endoscopy showed that the tumor was located at the esophagogastric junction and histopathological diagnosis of adenocarcinoma was offered. A subtotal gastrectomy was performed. Histopathological diagnosis was moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma, invading upto the serosa with metastases to perigastric nodes. The patient received chemotherapy of cisplatin and fluorouracil for one cycle and oral capecitabine for two cycles. Two years later, the patient presented with vaginal bleeding and magnetic resonance imaging of pelvis revealed a tumor of the cervix. Histopathological impression of the tumor was metastatic cervical adenocarcinoma and immunohistochemistry showed the tumor was cytokeratin, villin, and CDX2 were positive and cytokeratin 20, CA125, and CA199 were negative. The immunohistochemical profile was the same as that of primary.