Effective removal of Pb (II) from wastewater by zinc-iron bimetallic oxide-modified walnut shell biochar: A combined experimental and DFT calculation approach.

The modified walnut shell biochar (WBC) was prepared through zinc-iron bimetallic oxide modification (ZF@WBC) at 600 °C under oxygen-limited conditions in this study. Through adsorption experiments, characterization analyses, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, the adsorption properties of ZF@WBC to Pb (II) were investigated and the mechanism underlying such adsorption was elucidated. Characterization results showed that the surface area (375.9709 m2/g) and total pore volume (0.205319 cm3/g) of ZF@WBC were significantly greater than those of walnut shell biochar. The maximum adsorption capacity of ZF@WBC for Pb (II) was found to be 104.26 mg/g, which is 2.57 times higher than that of WBC according to the adsorption experiments conducted. The observed adsorption behavior followed both the pseudo-second-order (PSO) kinetic model and Langmuir isothermal adsorption model, suggesting that chemisorption plays a major role in the absorption process. Based on SEM, XRD, XPS, FTIR characterizations along with DFT calculations performed in this study, it can be concluded that surface complexation, ion exchange, electrostatic attraction, physical absorption are among the main mechanisms responsible for absorption of Pb (II) by ZF@WBC. Furthermore, even in the presence of interfering ions at different concentrations, ZF@WBC exhibited a removal rate above 70% for Pb (II). Therefore, ZF@WBC has great potential as an effective absorbent for removing Pb (II) from wastewater, while also offering opportunities for biomass waste resource utilization.

In Situ Intermediates Determination and Cytotoxicological Assessment in Catalytic Oxidation of Formaldehyde: Implications for Catalyst Design and Selectivity Enhancement under Ambient Conditions.

Formation and decay of formaldehyde oxides (CH2OO) affect the complete oxidation of formaldehyde. However, the speciation and reactivity of CH2OO are poorly understood because of its extremely fast kinetics and indirect measurements. Herein, three isomers of CH2OO (i.e., main formic acid, small dioxirane, and minor CH2OO Criegee) were in situ determined and confirmed as primary intermediates of the room-temperature catalytic oxidation of formaldehyde with two reference catalysts, that is, TiO2/MnO x-CeO2 and Pt/MnO x-CeO2. CH2OO Criegee is quite reactive, whereas formic acid and dioxirane have longer lifetimes. The production, stabilization, and removal of the three intermediates are preferentially performed at high humidity, matching well with the decay rate of CH2OO at approximately 6.6 × 103 s-1 in humid feed gas faster than 4.0 × 103 s-1 in dry feed. By contrast, given that a thinner water/TiO2 interface was well-defined in TiO2/MnO x-CeO2, fewer reductions in the active sites and catalytic activity were found when humidity was decreased. Furthermore, lethal intermediates mostly captured at the TiO2/MnO x-CeO2 surface suppressed the toxic off-gas emissions. This study provides practical insights into the rational design and selectivity enhancement of a reliable catalytic process for indoor air purification under unfavorable ambient conditions.

Retraction Note: Effect of perioperative infusion of Dexmedetomidine combined with Sufentanil on quality of postoperative analgesia in patients undergoing laparoscopic nephrectomy: a CONSORT-prospective, randomized, controlled trial.

The authors have retracted this article.

Effect of perioperative infusion of Dexmedetomidine combined with Sufentanil on quality of postoperative analgesia in patients undergoing laparoscopic nephrectomy: a CONSORT-prospective, randomized, controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Postoperative pain is one of the most common symptoms after surgery, which brings physical discomfort to patients. In addition, it may cause a series of complications, and even affect the long-term quality of life. The purpose of this prospective, randomized, double-blinded, controlled trial is to investigate the efficacy and safety of dexmedetomidine combined with sufentanil to attenuate postoperative pain in patients after laparoscopic nephrectomy. METHODS: Ninety patients undergoing laparoscopic nephrectomy were randomized into three groups: the control (sufentanil 0.02 µg/kg/h, Group C), sufentanil plus low dose of dexmedetomidine (0.02 µg/kg/h each, Group D1), and sufentanil plus high dose of dexmedetomidine (0.04 µg/kg/h, Group D2). The patient-controlled analgesia was programmed to deliver a bolus dose of 0.5 ml, followed by an infusion of 2 ml/h and a lockout time of 10 min. The primary goal was to calculate the cumulative amount of self-administered sufentanil; the secondary goals were to estimate pain intensity using the numerical rating scale (NRS), level of sedation, the first bowel movement, concerning adverse effects as well as duration of postoperative hospital stay. RESULTS: The total consumption of sufentanil in group D1 and D2 were significantly lower than in group C during the first 8 h after surgery (P < 0.05), whereas there were no statistically significant differences (P > 0.05) between group D1 and D2. Compared with group C, the NRS scores at rest during first 8 h after surgery were significantly lower in group D1 (P < 0.05). The NRS scores, neither at rest nor with movement, show statistically significant differences between group D1 and D2 at each time point following surgery (P > 0.05). The time to first flatus was shorter in group D1 compared with the control group (P < 0.05). In addition, compared with group C, group D1 and D2 had a shorter time for first defecation (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Dexmedetomidine combined with sufentanil showed better postoperative analgesia without adverse effects, as well as facilitated bowel movements for patients undergoing laparoscopic nephrectomy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: We registered this study in a Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR) centre on Dec 23 2015 and received the registration number: ChiCTR-IPR-15007628 .

Removal of Indoor Volatile Organic Compounds via Photocatalytic Oxidation: A Short Review and Prospect.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are ubiquitous in indoor environments. Inhalation of VOCs can cause irritation, difficulty breathing, and nausea, and damage the central nervous system as well as other organs. Formaldehyde is a particularly important VOC as it is even a carcinogen. Removal of VOCs is thus critical to control indoor air quality (IAQ). Photocatalytic oxidation has demonstrated feasibility to remove toxic VOCs and formaldehyde from indoor environments. The technique is highly-chemical stable, inexpensive, non-toxic, and capable of removing a wide variety of organics under light irradiation. In this paper, we review and summarize the traditional air cleaning methods and current photocatalytic oxidation approaches in both of VOCs and formaldehyde degradation in indoor environments. Influencing factors such as temperature, relative humidity, deactivation and reactivations of the photocatalyst are discussed. Aspects of the application of the photocatalytic technique to improve the IAQ are suggested.

Investigation into the association of FNDC1 and ADAMTS12 gene expression with plumage coloration in Muscovy ducks.

To elucidate the molecular genetic mechanisms underpinning feather color in Muscovy ducks. A cohort of 100 Muscovy ducks was meticulously selected for this research. Follicular tissues from ducks exhibiting black and white plumage served as the experimental samples. From these tissues, RNA and proteins were extracted for further analysis. The RNA underwent reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction amplification, followed by validation through western blot assays. The data revealed a significant upregulation in the expression of FN domain-containing protein 1 (FNDC1) and ADAMTS12 genes in Muscovy ducks with white plumage traits as opposed to those with black plumage traits. Specifically, individuals with pure white plumage demonstrated a markedly elevated expression of the FNDC1 gene in comparison to their pure black counterparts. Conversely, expression levels of the ADAMTS12 gene were found to be reduced in ducks with pure black plumage relative to those with pure white plumage. Notably, the expression patterns of FNDC1 and ADAMTS12 genes exhibited inconsistencies between mRNA and protein levels. This study offers significant insights into the molecular genetic mechanisms underlying feather color variation in Muscovy ducks. FNDC1 and ADAMTS12 could be considered potential targets for genetic manipulation or selective breeding strategies aimed at achieving specific feather color phenotypes in Muscovy ducks.

Optimizing esketamine administration for postoperative depression: a comprehensive study on laparoscopic bariatric surgery patients.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have reported conflicting findings regarding the efficacy of esketamine in managing postoperative depression. While the positive effects of subanesthetic doses esketamine have been observed in treatment-resistant depression, the response to this medication in patients experiencing depression following surgery has not been consistent. Building upon the known impact of anesthesia on brain function, we have formulated a hypothesis suggesting that the timing of esketamine administration in relation to anesthesia may significantly affect its efficacy in managing postoperative depression. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of esketamine administered at different time points before and after anesthesia. METHODS: Our randomized, double-blind, controlled study involved 120 patients undergoing laparoscopic bariatric surgery, randomly divided into three groups. Group Post- ESK received an intravenous injection of esketamine at a dose of 0.2 mg/kg after anesthesia induction. Group Pre- ESK received the same esketamine dosage 2 h prior to anesthesia induction. Group Placebo served as the control group and received a 0.9% saline solution after induction. The primary outcome measures of the study were depression scores as measured by Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and plasma brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels. RESULTS: On the first postoperative day, the PHQ-9 scores, incidence and severity of postoperative depression in the Pre-ESK group were significantly lower than those in the Post-ESK and placebo groups (P < 0.05). Additionally, plasma BDNF levels in the Pre-ESK group were significantly higher than those in the Post-ESK and placebo groups (P < 0.05). Notably, there was a negative correlation between PHQ-9 scores and plasma BDNF levels. CONCLUSIONS: Our study supports the potential for subanesthetic dose esketamine to alleviate postoperative depression symptoms following laparoscopic bariatric surgery, and anesthetic drugs have a significant effect on its efficacy. The use of subanesthetic dose esketamine after anesthesia does not improve postoperative depression symptoms in patients undergoing laparoscopic bariatric surgery, while the use of sub-anesthetic dose esketamine before anesthesia can improve postoperative depression symptoms.

Exploration of the genetic influence of MYOT and MB genes on the plumage coloration of Muscovy ducks.

Plumage color, a pivotal attribute delineating diverse Muscovy duck strains, assumes considerable significance within the field of Muscovy duck breeding research. This study extends the existing research by delving into the hereditary aspects of genes associated with plumage coloration in Muscovy ducks. The principal objective is to discern marker genes conducive to targeted breeding strategies based on plumage color, thereby furnishing indispensable technical foundations for the development of novel Muscovy duck varieties. Our investigation focused on scrutinizing the impact of MYOT and MB genes on the genetic expression of plumage color at both the RNA and protein levels in Muscovy ducks. The results elucidate that black Muscovy ducks manifest markedly elevated mRNA and protein expression levels of MYOT and MB genes in comparison to their white counterparts, indicating that both genes may play a constructive regulatory role in the context of plumage coloration in Muscovy ducks. The outcomes of this study delineate a discernible correlation between MYOT and MB genes and the plumage coloration in Muscovy ducks. Employing gene expression analysis, we successfully identified candidate genes that may be intricately linked to the determination of plumage color in these ducks.

Magnetic composite photocatalyst NiFe2O4/ZnIn2S4/biochar for efficient removal of antibiotics in water under visible light: Performance, mechanism and pathway.

The widespread presence of antibiotics in aquatic environments, resulting from excessive use and accumulation, has raised significant concerns. A NiFe2O4/ZnIn2S4/Biochar (NFO/ZIS/BC) magnetic nanocomposite was successfully synthesized, demonstrating significantly enhanced electron-hole separation properties. Comprehensive investigations were conducted to evaluate the impact of various parameters, including catalyst mass, pH, and the presence of co-existing ions on the composite's performance. The nanoparticles of NiFe2O4 (NFO) and ZnIn2S4 (ZIS) were found to improve the surface stability and sulfamethoxazole removal capabilities of porous biochar, while also demonstrating high total organic carbon removal efficiencies. •O2⁻ and h⁺ were identified as the predominant reactive oxygen species (ROS) in NFO/ZIS/BC-4 during the degradation process. The degradation outcomes of sulfamethoxazole under natural sunlight and water conditions were consistent with laboratory findings, affirming the robust applicative potential of NFO/ZIS/BC. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to elucidate the photocatalytic mechanism and identify potential intermediate products. Additionally, the types of heterojunctions present in the system were characterized and discussed. After multiple iterations, NFO/ZIS/BC-4 maintained effective photodegradation capabilities through five cycles. This study presents an effective method for the treatment of antibiotics in aquatic environments, offering significant potential for environmental applications.

Spiking Neural Network for Ultralow-Latency and High-Accurate Object Detection.

Spiking Neural Networks (SNNs) have attracted significant attention for their energy-efficient and brain-inspired event-driven properties. Recent advancements, notably Spiking-YOLO, have enabled SNNs to undertake advanced object detection tasks. Nevertheless, these methods often suffer from increased latency and diminished detection accuracy, rendering them less suitable for latency-sensitive mobile platforms. Additionally, the conversion of artificial neural networks (ANNs) to SNNs frequently compromises the integrity of the ANNs' structure, resulting in poor feature representation and heightened conversion errors. To address the issues of high latency and low detection accuracy, we introduce two solutions: timestep compression and spike-time-dependent integrated (STDI) coding. Timestep compression effectively reduces the number of timesteps required in the ANN-to-SNN conversion by condensing information. The STDI coding employs a time-varying threshold to augment information capacity. Furthermore, we have developed an SNN-based spatial pyramid pooling (SPP) structure, optimized to preserve the network's structural efficacy during conversion. Utilizing these approaches, we present the ultralow latency and highly accurate object detection model, SUHD. SUHD exhibits exceptional performance on challenging datasets like PASCAL VOC and MS COCO, achieving a remarkable reduction of approximately 750 times in timesteps and a 30% enhancement in mean average precision (mAP) compared to Spiking-YOLO on MS COCO. To the best of our knowledge, SUHD is currently the deepest spike-based object detection model, achieving ultralow timesteps for lossless conversion.

The Synergistic Anti-colon Cancer Effect of Aurora A Inhibitors and AKT Inhibitors Through PI3K/AKT Pathway.

BACKGROUND: Both AKT and Aurora inhibitors are a potential therapeutic agent for the treatment of malignant tumors. However, the role of combined inhibition of AKT and Aurora in colon cancer and its underlying mechanism have yet to be fully investigated. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of combined AKT and Aurora inhibitors in colon cancer and its underlying mechanisms. METHODS: CCK8 assay, colony formation assay, and flow cytometry were performed to analyze the proliferation and apoptosis of colon cancer cell line SW480 treated with combined AKT inhibitor MK2206 and Aurora inhibitor Alisertib, respectively. And tumor formation and growth were measured in tumor allograft model mice administered with the combined inhibitors. Western blot analysis was used to examine the expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins and signal transduction pathway components. The PI3K agonist 740Y-P and Overexpression of AKT are used to verify whether the PI3K/AKT pathway plays an anti-tumor effect when combined with inhibitory administration. RESULTS: Aurora A inhibitor Alisertib and AKT inhibitor MK2206 displayed consistent and synergistic antiproliferation and proapoptotic effects. Combined inhibition of Aurora A and AKT down-regulated the expression of Bcl-2/Bax and up-regulated the expression of cleaved-caspase-3 and cleaved-PARP. While single-drug treatment can significantly inhibit the expression of P-PI3K and P-AKT as well as increase the expression of P53 and H2A.X, the combined drugs had a more significant inhibitory effect than the single drug. Moreover, administration of PI3K agonist 740Y-P and AKT1 overexpression in experiments proved that the combined drugs exert an anticancer effect by inhibiting the PI3K/AKT pathway. Meanwhile, we showed that the combined administration had an anti-colon cancer effect on tumor allograft mice, and the underlying mechanism involved inhibition of the PI3K/AKT pathway. CONCLUSION: Combined administration of Aurora A inhibitor Alisertib and AKT inhibitor MK2206 can inhibit the proliferation of colon cancer cells and induce apoptosis, while inhibiting tumor growth in vivo. The underlying mechanism may involve the PI3K/AKT pathway and DNA damage pathway.

Reprogramming of Treg cells in the inflammatory microenvironment during immunotherapy: a literature review.

Regulatory T cells (Treg), as members of CD4+ T cells, have garnered extensive attention in the research of tumor progression. Treg cells have the function of inhibiting the immune effector cells, preventing tissue damage, and suppressing inflammation. Under the stimulation of the tumor inflammatory microenvironment (IM), the reprogramming of Treg cells enhances their suppression of immune responses, ultimately promoting tumor immune escape or tumor progression. Reducing the number of Treg cells in the IM or lowering the activity of Treg cells while preventing their reprogramming, can help promote the body's anti-tumor immune responses. This review introduces a reprogramming mechanism of Treg cells in the IM; and discusses the regulation of Treg cells on tumor progression. The control of Treg cells and the response to Treg inflammatory reprogramming in tumor immunotherapy are analyzed and countermeasures are proposed. This work will provide a foundation for downregulating the immunosuppressive role of Treg in the inflammatory environment in future tumor immunotherapy.

[Construction of a recombinant shRNA expression vector targeting EZH2 gene and its inhibitory effect on colon adenocarcinoma SW480 cells].

OBJECTIVE: To construct a recombinant short hairpin RNA (shRNA) expression vector targeting EZH2 gene, and to determine its effect on the proliferation of colon adenocarcinoma SW480 cells. METHODS: The DNA sequence with short hairpin structure was designed according to the EZH2 cDNA sequence and cloned into PGFP-V-RS vector to construct a recombinant expression vector silencing EZH2 gene. After identification, the shRNA-expressing vector was then transfected into SW480 cells. RT-PCR and Western blot were used to detect the inhibitory effect at both mRNA and protein levels. MTT was used to detect cell viability due to the alteration of EZH2 gene activity. RESULTS: At 48 h after transfection, the expression of EZH2 mRNA in the gene silencing group and negative control group were 0.339 ± 0.013 and 1.968 ± 0.072, respectively. The expression of EZH2 protein in the gene silencing group and negative control group were 0.229 ± 0.008 and 1.168 ± 0.053, respectively. The expression of EZH2 in the gene silencing group was significantly lower than that in the negative control group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). At 48 and 72 h after transfection, the inhibition rate of cell growth in the gene silencing group was 30.7% and 25.9%, respectively, indicating that the cell growth was significantly inhibited in comparison with that in the blank control group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: A recombinant shRNA expression vector targeting EZH2 gene has been successfully constructed in this study, with a significant inhibitory effect on the proliferation of SW480 cells. This lays an experimental foundation for further exploring the mechanism underlying the action of EZH2 gene on tumor biology.

Distributed nonsynchronous event-triggered state estimation of genetic regulatory networks with hidden Markovian jumping parameters.

In this paper, the distributed state estimation problem of genetic regulatory networks (GRNs) with hidden Markovian jumping parameters (HMJPs) is explored. Furthermore, in order to improve the communication efficiency among state estimation sensors, the event-triggered strategy is employed in the distributed framework for sensor networks. Particularly, by considering the fact that the true modes are always unaccessible, a novel nonsynchronous state estimation (NSE) strategy is utilized based on observed hidden mode information. By means of Lyapunov-Krasovski method, sufficient stochastic state estimation analysis and synthesis results are established, such that the concentrations of mRNA and protein in GRNs can be both well estimated by convex optimization. Finally, an illustrative example with relevant simulations results is provided to validate the applicability and effectiveness of the developed state estimation approach.

A novel polymer reactive flame retardant for the preparation of highly durable cotton fabrics.

A novel polymer ammonium salt of polyethyleneimine phosphate phosphonic acid (APEMPPA) flame retardant for cotton fabrics was synthesized and characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), in which some ammonium phosphoric acid groups were replaced by phosphate ester groups to decrease the phenomena that the ammonium ions in flame retardant would exchange with metal ions such as Ca2+ and Mg2+ in washing water to keep flame retardance well after washing. Energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results, and durability of treated cotton fabrics suggested that APEMPPA was grafted onto the cellulose. Limiting oxygen index (LOI) of 40 wt% APEMPPA-treated cotton fabric was 44.5 %, which was still 34.7 % after 50 LCs according to AATCC 61-2013 3A standard. Cone calorimetric and thermogravimetric (TG) results showed the treated cotton fabrics had excellent flame retardancy. TG-FTIR and Raman test results proposed that APEMPPA mainly played a condensed phase flame retardant. EDX results indicated that replacing some ammonium phosphate groups with phosphate ester groups was effective in maintaining flame retardancy during washing. All results showed that increasing the molecular weight and introducing phosphonate group in ammonium phosphorus acid flame retardant can effectively improve flame retardancy and durability. APEMPPA-treated cotton fabrics maintained good tensile strength.

A bio-based macromolecular phosphorus-containing active cotton flame retardant synthesized from starch.

A novel phosphorus-containing flame retardant, ammonium starch phosphate (ASTP) based on biomass starch, was synthesized for cotton fabrics, and its structure was characterized by 1D and 2D NMR. The limiting oxygen index (LOI) of the cotton fabric treated with 30 % ASTP reached 45.2 %, and the LOI remained at 32.1 % after 50 laundry cycles, indicating that the cotton fabrics treated with ASTP had a high flame retardancy and semi-permanent wash durability. The semi-permanent wash durability, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and the SEM results suggested ASTP was grafted on the surface of cotton fibers by P-O-C covalent bonds. Vertical flammability, the thermogravimetry (TG) and cone calorimetry results showed that the cotton fabrics treated with ASTP had excellent flame retardancy. There were some reductions in the physical properties of the treated cotton fabric. Overall, these results suggested that starch can replace polyhydric alcohols to prepare a more durable formaldehyde-free P-based flame retardants.

[Application of three-dimensional endoanal and endorectal ultrasound in the diagnosis of anorectal fistula].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the efficacy of three-dimensional anal and endorectal ultrasound in identifying the internal opening and tracing the tract of the anorectal fistula. METHODS: From November 2008 to January 2010, 127 patients suffering anorectal fistula were managed with three-dimensional endoanal and endorectal ultrasound. The internal opening, the tract of the fistula and fistula trace were identified by the ultrasonography with three-dimensional imaging. All results were confirmed and compared with findings from the operation. RESULTS: The internal opening of the fistula was specified in 116 patients, the accuracy rate was 91.3% (116/127). The internal opening of the fistula was located above the dentate line in 112 patients, and located in rectal ampulla in 4 patients. The main fistula tract was identified in all the patients, the accuracy rate was 100%. In this group, the fistula tunneled as follows: trans-sphincteric in 47 patients, intersphincteric in 75 cases, supra sphincteric in 2 cases, extra sphincteric in 3 patients. Secondary extension was found in 37 patients, the accuracy rate was 100% (37/37). CONCLUSIONS: Three-dimensional anal and endorectal ultrasound is an effective way for localizing the internal opening and the tract of anorectal fistula. It can provide valuable information for curative operation.

Sevoflurane prevents hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis by inhibiting PI3KC3-mediated autophagy.

Cardiomyocyte apoptosis plays an important role in ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced myocardial injury. Autophagy is suggested to be widely implicated in regulating cell survival and death. The cardioprotection of sevoflurane postconditioning has been long recognized, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. This study aims to investigate whether the cardioprotective effects of sevoflurane are associated with autophagy regulation. An in vitro hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) model was established in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes. The results showed that autophagy was activated in cardiomyocytes upon to H/R conditions, followed by increased LC3B puncta. Sevoflurane treatment or autophagy inhibition markedly attenuated H/R-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis. However, the effect of sevoflurane was reversed by autophagy induction. Moreover, sevoflurane significantly blocked H/R-induced autophagosome formation and autophagic flux. Mechanistically, we found that sevoflurane regulated H/R-induced autophagy through mTOR-independent mechanism. Sevoflurane inhibited the increase in PI3KC3 phosphorylation and Beclin-1/PI3KC3 complex formation under H/R conditions. Taken together, these results demonstrate that sevofluran ameliorates H/R-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis by autophagy inhibition via reducing Beclin-1/PI3KC3 formation and PI3KC3 activity. This novel mechanism may help to better understand the functional role of sevoflurane for the treatment of cardiac I/R injury.

Photocatalytic Nitrogen Oxide Removal Activity Improved Step-by-Step through Serial Multistep Cu Modifications.

Previous research has evidenced the insufficient efficiency in a one-step modified photocatalyst for NO removal. In this article, a serial multistep modification was explored to improve the NO removal activity of g-C3N4. In the experiment, a g-C3N4 photocatalyst has been successfully modified by Cu elements three times on one continuous process. Meanwhile, results showed that the serial multistep modifications could improve NO removal activity by g-C3N4 step by step. The main active species in the g-C3N4 system were h+ and •O2- but they were h+ and •OH in the three-modified g-C3N4 systems. Moreover, different mechanisms of activity improvement caused by the modified Cu in the serial-modified samples were identified. In the first modified sample, Cu2+ can decompose H2O2 molecules into •OH via a Fenton-like reaction. In the second modified sample, the H2O2 molecule is activated by Cu0 and decomposed into •OH by the generated photoelectrons. After the third modification, the synergistic effects of the N vacancy and Cu0 were identified, which significantly enhanced the photocatalytic NO removal activity of g-C3N4. This study proposed that the serial multistep modification can be a promising method to improve the NO removal activity of g-C3N4 stage-by-stage.

Berberine regulates the microRNA-21-ITGΒ4-PDCD4 axis and inhibits colon cancer viability.

Berberine is sourced from multiple medicinal herb resources and is easy to extract. With the advantages of low price, safety and convenience, berberine may have potential for wide clinical use. The present study aimed to investigate whether berberine inhibited the viability of colon cancer and whether it regulated the three-gene network microRNA (miR)-21-integrin ß4 (ITGß4)-programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4). It was demonstrated that berberine treatment suppressed colon cancer cell viability, and induced apoptosis and activated caspase-3 activity in the human colon carcinoma HCT116 cell line. Berberine inhibited miR-21 expression and promoted ITGß4 and PDCD4 protein expression in the HCT116 cell line. Overexpression of miR-21 reduced the anti-cancer effects of berberine on cell viability, apoptosis rate and caspase-3 activity of the HCT116 cell line. However, it was revealed that the overexpression of miR-21 also suppressed ITGß4 and PDCD4 protein expression in the HCT116 cell line. In conclusion, miR-21, ITGß4 and PDCD4 are involved in the anti-cancer effects of berberine on cell viability and apoptosis in the HCT116 cell line.