Coupling electrokinetic remediation with flushing using green tea synthesized nano zero-valent iron/nickel to remediate Cr (VI).

This study focuses on a flushing-electrokinetic remediation technology of hexavalent chromium from the chromium slag dump site. A suspension of nanoscale zero-valent iron/nickel fabricated from green tea (GT-nZVI/Ni), was employed as an eluent to degrade Cr (VI) and enhance the remediation effectiveness of a single EK. The removal efficiency of Cr (VI) was compared under different voltages, electrode spacings and pH values of the anolyte. The results demonstrated that the combined flushing and EK achieved a removal rate of Cr (VI) in the soil throughout all the experiments ranging from 83.08 to 96.97% after 120 h. The optimal result was obtained when the voltage was 28 V, the pH value of anolyte was 3 and the electrode spacing was 15 cm. The removal of Cr (VI) reached 91.49% and the energy consumption was 0.32606 kW·h·g-1. The underlying mechanisms responsible for the removal of Cr (VI) by GT-nZVI/Ni flushing-EK primarily involved electromigration, reduction and adsorption co-precipitation processes. The fractionation analysis of Cr (VI) concentration in the soil after remediation showed that the presence of GT-nZVI/Ni facilitated the conversion of Cr (VI) into oxidizable and residual states with low mobility and toxicity. The results of toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) indicated that the leaching concentration of Cr (VI) was below 1 mg·L-1, complying with the standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency. Additionally, the phytotoxicity testing revealed that the germination index (GI) of the remediated soil reached 54.75%, indicating no potential harm to plants.

Investigation of anti-aging and anti-infection properties of Jingfang Granules using the Caenorhabditis elegans model.

Jingfang Granule (JFG), a traditional Chinese medicine, is frequently employed in clinical settings for the treatment of infectious diseases. Nevertheless, the anti-aging and anti-infection effects of JFG remain uncertain. In the present study, these effects were evaluated using the Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) N2 as a model organism. The results demonstrated that JFG significantly increased the median lifespan of C. elegans by 31.2% at a dosage of 10 mg/mL, without any discernible adverse effects, such as alterations in the pharyngeal pumping rate or nematode motility. Moreover, JFG notably increased oviposition by 11.3%. Subsequent investigations revealed that JFG enhanced oxidative stress resistance in C. elegans by reducing reactive oxygen species levels and significantly improved survival rates in nematodes infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 9027. These findings suggest that JFG delays reproductive senescence in C. elegans and protects them from oxidative stress, thereby extending their lifespan. Additionally, JFG improves the survival of P. aeruginosa-infected nematodes. Consequently, JFG has potential as a candidate for the development of anti-aging and anti-infection functional medicines.

Progressive pseudorheumatoid dysplasia involving a novel WISP3 mutation and sacroiliac and hip arthritis: A case report and literature review.

INTRODUCTION: Progressive pseudorheumatoid dysplasia (PPRD) is a rare autosomal recessive genetic disease caused by mutations in the Wnt1-inducible signaling pathway protein 3 gene. PPRD is considered a noninflammatory disease, and involvement of the sacroiliac joint and hip arthritis have not been reported previously. PATIENT CONCERNS: We report a case of PPRD in an 11-year-old boy, who presented with bilateral pain and swelling in the knees, elbows, and ankles, and bilateral pain without swelling in the shoulders, wrists, knuckles, and proximal and distal interphalangeal joints for the past 5 years. He had been misdiagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis for more than 6 years. DIAGNOSIS: The correct PPRD diagnosis was made using whole-exome sequencing for Wnt1-inducible signaling pathway protein 3 gene mutations (c.589 + 2T>C and c.721T>G; both mutations have rarely been reported) and magnetic resonance imaging examination; moreover, the latter showed inflammation of the sacroiliac joint and hip joint. INTERVENTION: The patient was administered supplemental calcium, active vitamin D, and glucosamine sulfate. OUTCOME: The patient experienced alleviation of joint pain following treatment initiation; however, joint motion improvement was not obvious. Above all, the long-term use of biologic or targeted synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs in the future was avoided. CONCLUSION: The findings of the inflammatory aspects in PPRD will enrich our understanding of this rheumatological disease.

Reduction in Five Harmful Substances in Fried Potato Chips by Pre-Soaking Treatment with Different Tea Extracts.

Thermally processed food always contains various types of harmful substances. Control of their levels in food is important for human health. This work used the extracts from green tea dust, old green tea, yellow tea, white tea, oolong tea, and black tea to simultaneously mitigate diverse harmful substances in fried potato chips. The six tea extracts (30 g/L) all showed considerable inhibitory effects on the formation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (reduced by 19.8%-53.2%), glyoxal (26.9%-36.6%), and methylglyoxal (16.1%-75.1%). Green tea and black tea extracts exhibited better inhibitory abilities than the other three teas and were further investigated for other harmful compounds by various concentration treatments. Finally, pre-soaking of fresh potato slices in 50 g/L extracts of green tea dust displayed, overall, the most promising inhibitory capacity of HMF (decreased by 73.3%), glyoxal (20.3%), methylglyoxal (69.7%), acrylamide (21.8%), and fluorescent AGEs (42.9%) in fried potato chips, while it exhibited the least impact on the color and texture. The high level of catechins in green tea dust may contribute most to its outstanding inhibitory effect, whereas the distinguished inhibitory effect of black tea extract was speculated to be attributable to the high levels of theaflavins and amino acids in the fully fermented tea. This study indicated that green tea dust, a predominant waste of the tea industry, had great potential to be exploited to improve food quality and safety.

Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking to Explore the Mechanism of Kangxian Decoction for Epilepsy.

Purpose: Kangxian decoction (KXD) has been used in clinical practice to treat epilepsy. The purpose of this study was to explore the active components of KXD and clarify its antiepileptic mechanism through network pharmacology and molecular docking. Methods: The components of KXD were collected from the Encyclopedia of Traditional Chinese Medicine (ETCM) database and the literature was searched. Then, active ingredients were screened by SwissADME and potential targets were predicted by the SwissTargetPrediction database. Epilepsy-related differentially expressed genes were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. A component-target-pathway network was constructed with Cytoscape. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis and protein‒protein interaction network analysis revealed the potential mechanism and critical targets. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves and box plots in microarray data validated the good diagnostic value and significant differential expression of these critical genes. Molecular docking verified the association between active ingredients and essential target proteins. Results: In our study, we screened the important compounds of KXD for epilepsy, including quercetin, baicalin, kaempferol, yohimbine, geissoschizine methyl ether, baicalein, etc. KXD may exert its therapeutic effect on epilepsy through the following targets: PTGS2, MMP9, CXCL8, ERBB2, and ARG1, acting on the following pathways: neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions, arachidonic acid metabolism, IL-17, TNF, NF-kappa B, and MAPK signaling pathways. The molecular docking results showed that the active ingredients in KXD exhibited good binding ability to the key targets. Conclusion: In this study, we explored the possibility that KXD for epilepsy may act on multiple targets through multiple active ingredients, involving neurotransmitters and neuroinflammatory pathways, providing a theoretical basis for subsequent clinical and experimental studies that will help develop effective new drugs to treat epilepsy.

[Potential targets of Euodiae Fructus in treatment of insomnia based on network pharmacology].

The acupoint application of Euodiae Fructus at Yongquan(KI1) can significantly improve the sleep quality of patients with insomnia with berberine as the main effective component for the efficacy. Nineteen active compounds and 203 drug targets were screened out from Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database and Analysis Platform(TCMSP). After comparison with GeneCards and Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man(OMIM), 24 common genes of diseases and drugs were obtained. STRING 11.0 was used to construct a protein-protein interaction(PPI) network of the overlapping genes, and Matthews correlation coefficient(MCC) was employed to screen the core genes, which were then subjected to enrichment analysis with gene ontology(GO) and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes(KEGG). The results revealed that the main compounds of Euodiae Fructus, such as berberine and rutaecarpine, participated in the biological processes(such as neurotransmitter receptor activity) by regulating C-reactive protein(CRP), estrogen receptor 1(ESR1), 5-hydroxytryptamine(5-HT) receptor, and interleukin-6(IL-6) to exert sedative, anxiolytic, and antidepressant effects. Sixty 4-week-old SPF mice were randomly divided into a control group, a model group, a positive drug(diazepam tablets) group, and low-, medium-, and high-dose berberine groups. Medication with corresponding drugs was performed for one week. The results demonstrated that berberine was potent in reducing the activities and standing times of mice, down-regulating the levels of CRP and IL-6 mRNA in the hypothalamus, and up-regulating the expression of 5-HT(P<0.01); however, no significant effect on ESR1 was observed. The network of Euodiae Fructus in treating insomnia was constructed by network pharmacology and verified by tests. The findings indicated that the therapeutic efficacy of Euodiae Fructus in treating insomnia was achieved by participating in multiple biological processes, such as neurotransmitter receptor activity, which provided a scientific basis for its clinical application.

The Utility of the Maxillary Heuwieser for Oropharyngeal Foreign Body Removal Under Nebulized Local Anesthesia: A Case Series.

We describe a novel and safe use of existing instrumentation in the removal of select foreign bodies in the upper aerodigestive tract to minimize health-care costs. A retrospective review of 4 cases involving visualized upper aerodigestive tract foreign bodies were identified via flexible laryngoscopy and extracted under local anesthesia from 2016 to 2018. All 4 patients were not in any airway distress and underwent successful removal of the foreign body, which included 2 fishbones, a sewing pin, and a wire bristle with a maxillary Heuwieser or giraffe instrument under flexible laryngoscopy visualizing using local anesthesia without complications. No foreign bodies were dislodged. The use of a maxillary Heuwieser and flexible laryngoscopy visualization is safe, allows for removal of otherwise difficult to reach foreign bodies at the bedside, improving patient comfort, obviates the need for general anesthesia to the patient, and minimizes health-care costs.

Microbial diversity and component variation in Xiaguan Tuo Tea during pile fermentation.

Xiaguan Tuo Tea is largely consumed by the Chinese, but there is little research into the microbial diversity and component changes during the fermentation of this tea. In this study, we first used fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), next-generation sequencing (NGS) and chemical analysis methods to determine the microbial abundance and diversity and the chemical composition during fermentation. The FISH results showed that the total number of microorganisms ranges from 2.3×102 to 4.0×108 cells per gram of sample during fermentation and is mainly dominated by fungi. In the early fermentation stages, molds are dominant (0.6×102~2.8×106 cells/g, 0~35 d). However, in the late stages of fermentation, yeasts are dominant (3.6×104~9.6×106 cells/g, 35~56 d). The bacteria have little effect during the fermentation of tea (102~103 cells/g, <1% of fungus values). Of these fungi, A. niger (Aspergillus niger) and B. adeninivorans (Blastobotrys adeninivorans) are identified as the two most common strains, based on Next-generation Sequencing (NGS) analysis. Peak diversity in tea was observed at day 35 of fermentation (Shannon-Weaver index: 1.195857), and lower diversity was observed on days 6 and 56 of fermentation (Shannon-Weaver index 0.860589 and 1.119106, respectively). During the microbial fermentation, compared to the unfermented tea, the tea polyphenol content decreased by 54%, and the caffeine content increased by 59%. Theanine and free amino acid contents were reduced during fermentation by 81.1 and 92.85%, respectively.