Highly efficient recovery of Zn (II) from zinc-containing wastewater by tourmaline tailings geopolymers to in-situ construct nanoscale ZnS for the photodegradation of tetracycline hydrochloride.

While treating zinc-containing wastewater, recovering zinc for reuse as a secondary resource has significant environmental and economic benefits. Herein, based on the alkali-activated tourmaline tailings geopolymers (TTG) after adsorption of zinc ions (Zn (II)), a series of new composites with in-situ construction ZnS nanoparticles on TTG (ZnS/TTG) were synthesized, and used as photocatalysts for the photodegradation of tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH) in solution. Specifically, ZnS nanoparticles were uniformly and stably distributed in the layered structure of TTG, interweaving with each other to generate an interfacial electric field, which could induce more photocarrier generation. Meanwhile, TTG acted as an electron acceptor to accelerate the electron transfer at the interface, thus enhancing the photodegradation activity for TCH. The active radical quenching experiments combined with the ESR indicated that the active species produced during the photocatalytic degradation of TCH by ZnS/TTG composites were •O2- and photogenerated h+. When the initial concentration of Zn (II) was 60 mg/L, the synthesized 60-ZnS/TTG composites (0.5 g/L) reached 91.53% degradation efficiency of TCH (10 mg/L) at pH = 6. Furthermore, the possible pathways and mechanism of 60-ZnS/TTG composites photodegraded TCH were revealed with the aid of degraded intermediates. This report not only proposed valuable references for reusing heavy metal ions and removing TCH from wastewater, but also provided promising ideas for realizing the conversion of used adsorbents into high-efficiency photocatalysts.

Removal of Aflatoxin B1 and Zearalenone in Mixed Aqueous Solution by Palygorskite-Montmorillonite Materials In Situ Prepared from Palygorskite Mineral.

In view of the animal feeds inevitably contaminated by multiple mycotoxins, eco-friendly and efficient palygorskite-montmorillonite (Pal-Mt) materials were prepared to remove polar aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and weak polar zearalenone (ZEN) from mixed mycotoxins aqueous solution. The adsorption properties and bonding mechanisms between Pal-Mt materials and mycotoxins (AFB1 and ZEN) were investigated systematically. The as-prepared Pal-Mt showed excellent adsorption capacity for AFB1 and ZEN in single- and binary-mycotoxin systems, indicating the effectiveness of Pal-Mt acting as multiple mycotoxin adsorbents. The kinetics of adsorption for ZEN was fast due to the adsorption on the external surface (film and intraparticle diffusion), while AFB1 molecules permeated into mesopores after the external adsorption for the more planar structure. Adsorption isotherms demonstrated that heterogeneous surface adsorption appeared between Pal-Mt and AFB1, and monolayer adsorption occurred on Pal-Mt and ZEN for different polarities of mycotoxins. Thermodynamic parameters illustrated that the adsorption process of both AFB1 and ZEN onto Pal-Mt was spontaneous and endothermic. The adsorption mechanism studies suggested that hydrogen bonding, electrostatic attraction, calcium bridging linkage, and ion-dipole played fundamental roles in the interaction between Pal-Mt and these two mycotoxins.

Influence of Water Activated by Far infrared Porous Ceramics on Nitrogen Absorption in the Pig Feed.

Under modern and, intensive feeding livestock and poultry density has increased, and brought a deterioration of the farm environment. The livestock and their excrement generate harmful gases such as ammonia, etc. which restricted the sustainable development and improvement of production efficiency of animal husbandry. In this paper, a new kind of far infrared porous ceramics was prepared to activate, the animal drinking water. The activated water and common water were then supplied to pigs, and the fresh pig feces of experimental group and:control group were collected on a regular basis. The residual protein content in feces was tested by Kjeldahl nitrogen method to study the influence law of the porous ceramics on absorbing nitrogen element in animal feces. The results showed that compared with the control group, the protein content in the experimental group decreased on average by 39.2%. The activated drinking water was conducive to the absorption of nitrogen in pig feed. The clusters of water molecules became smaller under the action of the porous ceramics. Hence, they were easy to pass through the water protein channel on the cell membrane for speeding up the metabolism.

Effect of heat treatment on the far-infrared emission spectra and fine structures of black tourmaline.

Mineral black tourmaline powders were heat-treated at different temperatures. Their crystal structure was studied by X-ray diffractometer. Their infrared absorption and emission spectra before and after the heat treatment were analyzed by the Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. The corresponding fine structures were discussed in detail. The results showed that the powders possessed higher infrared emissivity at the band where they showed stronger infrared absorption. However, there is no certain correlation between the peak intensity of infrared absorption and emissivity values at the same frequency. Because of the crystal shrinkage of c-axis, the electronic transitions were stimulated between different energy levels, and the abilities of infrared absorption and emission were enhanced with increasing the temperature of heat treatment.

Inhibition of water activated by far infrared functional ceramics on proliferation of hepatoma cells.

Rare earth (RE)/tourmaline composite materials prepared by the precipitation method are added to the ceramic raw materials at a certain percentage and sintered into RE functional ceramics with high far infrared emission features. Then the far infrared functional ceramics are used to interact with water. The influence of the ceramics on the physical parameters of water is investigated, and the effect of the activated water on the growth of Bel-7402 hepatoma cells cultured in vitro is further studied. The results indicate that, compared with the raw water, the water activated by the ceramics can inhibit the proliferation of hepatoma cells, with statistical probability P < 0.01, which means that the effect is significant. It can be explained that the water activated by the ceramics has a higher concentration of H+, which decreases the potential difference across the cell membrane to release the apoptosis inducing factor (AIF). After entering the cells, the activated water stimulates the mitochondria to produce immune substances that lead tumor cells to apoptosis.

Plasma oxidative lipidomics reveals signatures for sepsis-associated acute kidney injury.

BACKGROUND: Oxidized lipids are essential bioactive lipid mediators generated during infection that regulate oxidative stress and the inflammatory response, but their signatures in patients with sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (SA-AKI) are poorly understood. This study analyzed the oxidative lipidomics of plasma from patients with SA-AKI to reveal the underlying biomarkers and pathophysiological mechanisms involved in sepsis. MATERIALS: A total of 67 patients with SA-AKI and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HCs) participated in this prospective cohort study. Among the patients with SA-AKI, 14 cases had stage I-II AKI and 53 cases had stage III AKI. Oxidative lipidomic analysis of plasma samples was conducted using ultra performance liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometric (UPLC-MS /MS) detection. RESULTS: Among 21 kinds of differentially oxidized lipids, 5(S),12(S)-DiHETE, 5-isoPGF2VI, 5,6-DiHETrE, 11,12-EET and 9,10-DiHOME showed the best performance. The prediction model incorporating them has shown highly sensitive and specific in distinguishing different stages of SA-AKI from HCs. The annotation of Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes illustrated that the overall downregulation of vascular smooth muscle contraction was closely related to the pathophysiological mechanism of SA-AKI. CONCLUSION: This study revealed alterations in the characteristic oxidized lipids in the plasma of SA-AKI patients, and these lipids had high diagnostic efficiency and potential targeted intervention value for SA-AKI.

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Elevated Anxiety Symptoms of Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients in China: A One-Year Follow-Up Study.

Recent studies have shown that coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) aggravates anxiety in patients with maintenance hemodialysis (MHD), but it is still unclear how long this adverse effect will last. This study aims to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on the elevated anxiety symptoms of MHD patients 1 year after the outbreak. Assessment of elevated anxiety symptoms was performed on patients with MHD during early COVID-19 (February 17-February 29, 2020) and 1-year follow-up (March 1-March 13, 2021), and a total of 100 patients had completed face-to-face questionnaires at the first and 1-year follow-up. At the beginning of the outbreak, 40% of the patients with MHD had anxiety symptoms [self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) score ≥ 50], and 11% (SAS score: 60-69) and 2% (SAS score ≥ 70) of the patients had moderate and severe anxiety symptoms, respectively. Multivariate analysis shows that possibility of unaccompanied transfer, possibility of family members or themselves being infected in a hospital, added body temperature monitoring during dialysis, and increased medical procedures are the risk factors in elevated anxiety symptoms during early COVID-19. At the 1-year follow-up, the incidence of anxiety symptoms in the same group of patients declined to 28%, and all the patients had mild anxiety symptoms (SAS score: 50-59), which is significantly lower than that of the early COVID-19 pandemic with statistically significant difference (p = 0.003). Increased protective measures taken by the medical staves were the only risk factor in elevated anxiety symptoms during the 1-year follow-up. This study shows that COVID-19 has a direct impact on the deterioration of anxiety symptoms in patients with MHD. With the changes of the requirements for COVID-19 prevention and control, as well as the enhancement of propaganda and education of the pandemic and psychological care, the severity and risk factors of anxiety symptoms in the patients with MHD are changing. Thus, targeted interventions are suggested to improve the psychological endurance of the patients with MHD.

Association among sleep, depression, and health-related quality of life in patients with non-dialysis chronic kidney disease during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Sleep disturbance is well documented as a crucial element that impairs health. Depression and health-related quality of life (HRQOL), which on behalf of a patient's overall perception of emotional, physical and social well-being, are increasingly emphasized self-reported health outcomes especially during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Among dialysis patients, sleep disturbance is associated with depression and poorer HRQOL. The study was designed to depict the prevalence of sleep disturbance, and to explore the association among sleep, depression, and HRQOL in patients with non-dialysis chronic kidney disease (CKD) during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A total of 172 non-dialysis CKD patients enrolled in this cross-sectional study, with sociodemographic and clinical data recorded. Sleep, HRQOL, and depression were evaluated via the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Kidney Disease Quality of Life 36-Item Short-Form Survey (KDQOL-36), and the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), respectively. RESULTS: A total of 100 (58%) met the criteria for poor sleep. Good sleepers had strikingly disparate HRQOL and depression scores compared to poor sleepers. Sleep disorders were significantly associated with decreased HRQOL and increased depression in regression models adjusted or unadjusted for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Mediation analysis indicated depression was a significant mediator explaining 51% of the relationship between sleep status with physical component summary (PCS) and played a fully mediating role in the association between sleep and mental component summary (MCS). CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggested the high incidence of sleep disorders in patients with non-dialysis CKD during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the tight associations among sleep, depression, and HRQOL. Considering the negative influences of sleep and depression on HRQOL, appropriate screening and treatment for these treatable health-related domains are necessary for patients with non-dialysis CKD.

Property evaluation on the spontaneous polarity for nanopowders.

For the tourmaline fine powders, in view of their low polarized charge density and easily occurred neutralization, a new evaluation model on the spontaneous polarity was proposed. By adjusting the temperature and applying electric field, the polarized charge could be measured. On this basis, a portable evaluation device was designed and assembled into four parts: Voltage Input Unit, Temperature Control Unit, Sample Loading Unit, and Charge Detection Unit. Using the designed device, the property evaluation on the spontaneous polarity of tourmaline fine powders was carried out. The spontaneous polarization intensity was finally achieved. After experimental verification, the method had the characteristics of easy operation and high accuracy.

Far infrared emission and portable testing device of fine powders.

In order for industrial and mining enterprises to fast detect the quality of fine mineral powders with far infrared emission, a simple testing model was set up according to the relationship between the emission intensity of powders and their surface temperature. The corresponding testing device was designed and assembled into three parts containing Constant Temperature Heating Part, Temperature Measuring Part and Sample Loading Part. By using the tourmaline mineral powders with far infrared emission as the research object and combining Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, the calibration for the testing device was carried out. The results showed that the far infrared emission intensity of the tourmaline powders with different mining area and particle size could be judged. The testing results exhibited correct values when compared with those from FTIR measurements.

Microstructure and far infrared emission properties of tourmaline powders eroded by hydrochloric acid.

The microstructure and far infrared emission properties of tourmaline powders eroded by hydrochloric acid were investigated. The indexes including crystal structure, unit cell volume, microstructure and infrared spectra were characterized by X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The results show that the crystal structure was not changed; however, the unit cell volume decreased, the angularities of tourmaline particles became smooth, and there appeared nanohollows on their surfaces. The infrared emission properties were enhanced at proper concentrations of hydrochloric acid solutions.

Effects of particle size on far infrared emission properties of tourmaline superfine powders.

Tourmaline superfine powders with different particle sizes were prepared by grinding, superfine ball milling, and high-speed centrifugation. The powders were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, dynamic contact angle meter and tensiometry, and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. The results show that tourmaline powders exhibit improved far infrared emission properties as the particle size decreases. The increased surface free energy and proportion of the polar component are considered to play an important role for their properties. The spontaneous polarization is increased, and the dipole moment of tourmaline is stimulated to a high energy level more easily for the chemical bond vibration, so that the energy is apt to emit by transition. In the range of 2000-500 cm(-1), the emissivity values of the samples with D50 size of 2.67 microm and 0.2 microm are 0.973 and 0.991, respectively.

Effects of mineral tourmaline particles on the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 thin films.

Titania composite thin films (T/TiO2) containing tourmaline particles were prepared by a sol-gel method, using alkoxide solutions as precursor. The tourmaline particles and thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and so on. The effects of tourmaline on the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 were measured with methyl orange as an objective photodegradation substance. The results showed that the photocatalytic degradation of methyl orange conformed to the first-order kinetic equation and the composite thin films had better photocatalytic activity due to the cooperation of polarity and the far infrared emission of tourmaline. The T/TiO2 thin films including 0.5 wt% tourmaline exhibited better photocatalytic activity when heat-treated at 250 degrees C for 3 h, than pure TiO2 thin films under the ultraviolet irradiation.

Performance and application of far infrared rays emitted from rare earth mineral composite materials.

Rare earth mineral composite materials were prepared using tourmaline and cerous nitrate as raw materials. Through characterization by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, dynamic contact angle meter and tensiometer, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, it was found that the composite materials had a better far infrared emitting performance than tourmaline, which depended on many factors such as material composition, microstructure, and surface free energy. Based on the results of the flue gas analyzer and the water boiling test, it was found that the rare earth mineral composite materials could accelerate the combustion of liquefied petroleum gas and diesel oil. The results showed that the addition of Ce led to the improvement of far infrared emitting performance of tourmaline due to the decrease of cell volume caused by the oxidation of more Fe2+ ions and the increase of surface free energy. The application of rare earth mineral composite materials to diesel oil led to a decrease in surface tension and flash point, and the fuel saving ratio could reach 4.5%. When applied to liquefied petroleum gas, the composite materials led to the enhanced combustion, improved fuel consumption by 6.8%, and decreased concentration of CO and O2 in exhaust gases by 59.7% and 16.2%, respectively; but the temperature inside the flue increased by 10.3%.

miR-181c protects CsA-induced renal damage and fibrosis through inhibiting EMT.

Cyclosporine A (CsA), a widely used immunosuppressive drug in organ transplantation and autoimmune disorders, frequently induces renal damage and fibrosis. Recent evidence has implicated epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in CsA-induced nephrotoxicity. Microarray analysis disclosed miR-181c as the microRNA most dramatically repressed by CsA. Downregulation of miR-181c expression at the transcriptional level by CsA is dependent on the transcription factor Nrf2. miR-181c mimics or inhibitors attenuate or aggravate CsA-induced EMT gene changes, respectively. Importantly, in Nrf2-/- mice, CsA-induced renal damage, fibrosis, and EMT gene changes are restored by miR-181c mimics. Mechanistically, we identified Notch2 as a potential target of miR-181c. Collectively, our data support the notion that miR-181c may serve as an important factor for protecting renal tissues from CsA-induced nephrotoxicity.

Effect of Tourmaline-Doped on the Far Infrared Emission of Iron Ore Tailings Ceramics.

Iron ore tailings as secondary resources have been of great importance to many countries in the world. Their compositions are similar to that of infrared emission ceramics, but there are few reports about it. In addition, tourmaline has high infrared emission properties due to its unique structure. With the purpose of expanding functional utilization of iron ore tailings, as well as reducing the production cost of far infrared ceramics, a new kind of far infrared emission ceramics was prepared by using iron ore tailings, calcium carbonate, silica, and natural tourmaline. The ceramics powders were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscope, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The results show that after being sintered at 1065 °C, the percentage of pseudobrookite and lattice strain of samples increased with increasing the elbaite content. Furthermore, the added tourmaline was conducive to the densification sintering of ceramics. The appearance of Li-O vibration at 734.73 cm-1, as well as the strengthened Fe-O vibration at 987.68 cm-1 were attributed to the formation of Li0.375Fe1.23Ti1.4O5 solid solution, which led the average far infrared emissivity of ceramics increase from 0.861 to 0.906 within 8-14 µm.

Effect of the Dosage of Tourmaline on Far Infrared Emission Properties of Tourmaline/Glass Composite Materials.

Tourmaline/glass composite materials were prepared by sintering at 600 °C using micron-size tourmaline mineral and glass powders as raw materials. The glass has lower melting point than the transition temperature of tourmaline. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed that the far infrared emissivity of composite was significantly higher than that of either tourmaline or glass powders. A highest far infrared emissivity of 0.925 was obtained when the dosage of tourmaline was 10 wt%. The effects of the amount of tourmaline on the far infrared emission properties of composite was also systematically studied by field emission scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffraction. The tourmaline phase was observed in the composite, showing a particle size of about 70 nm. This meant that the tourmaline particles showed nanocrystallization. They distributed homogenous in the glass matrix when the dosage of tourmaline was not more than 20 wt%. Two reasons were attributed to the improved far infrared emission properties of composite: the particle size of tourmaline-doped was nanocrystallized and the oxidation of Fe2+ (0.076 nm in radius) to Fe3+ (0.064 nm in radius) took place inside the tourmaline-doped. This resulted in the shrinkage of unit cell of the tourmaline in the composite.

Simulation of 3D tumor cell growth using nonlinear finite element method.

We propose a novel parallel computing framework for a nonlinear finite element method (FEM)-based cell model and apply it to simulate avascular tumor growth. We derive computation formulas to simplify the simulation and design the basic algorithms. With the increment of the proliferation generations of tumor cells, the FEM elements may become larger and more distorted. Then, we describe a remesh and refinement processing of the distorted or over large finite elements and the parallel implementation based on Message Passing Interface to improve the accuracy and efficiency of the simulation. We demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the FEM model and the parallelization methods in simulations of early tumor growth.

Protective effect of a polysaccharide from stem of Codonopsis pilosula against renal ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats.

In this study, we purified a homogeneous polysaccharide (S-CPPA1) with a molecular weight (Mw) of 133.2 kDa from the stem of Codonopsis pilosula for the first time. Gas chromatography (GC) analysis identified that S-CPPA1 contained glucose, galactose, and arabinose with a molar ratio of 10.5:3.4:1.7, along with a trace of mannose. Methylation analysis suggested S-CPPA1 was a branched polysaccharide, with five glucosidic linkage forms, namely (1→4)-linked Glcp (residue A), (1→6)-linked Galp (residue B), (1→2,6)-linked Glcp (residue C), (1→5)-linked Araf (residue D), and non-reducing terminal (1→)-linked Glcp (residue E). The protective effect of S-CPPA1 on kidney ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury was also evaluated. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine and TNF-α levels, as well as lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and alanine transaminase (AST) activities were elevated in the I/R group as compared to the sham group. On the other hand, S-CPPA1 treatment reversed all these biochemical indices, as well as histopathological alterations, which were induced by I/R. The findings imply that S-CPPA1 plays a causal role in the protection against I/R-induced renal injury and its renoprotective effect is probably mediated by inhibiting the proinflammatory cytokine TNF-α release.