Comparison study on enhancement of phosphorus recovery from low-strength wastewater treated with different magnesium-based electrochemical constructed wetland.

Phosphorus (P) recovery from wastewaters treated with constructed wetlands (CWs) could alleviate the current global P crisis but has not received sufficient attention. In this study, P transformation in different magnesium-based electrochemical CWs, including micro-electrolysis CW (M-CW), primary battery CW (P-CW), and electrolysis CW (E-CW), was thoroughly examined. The results revealed that the P removal efficiency was 53.0%, 75.8%, and 61.9% in the M-CW, E-CW, and P-CW, respectively. P mass balance analysis showed that P electrode deposition was the main reason for the higher P removal in the E-CW and P-CW. Significant differences were found between the E-CW and P-CW, P was distributed primarily on the magnesium plate in the P-CW but was distributed on the carbon plate in the E-CW. The E-CW had excellent P recovery capacity, and struvite was the major P recovery product. More intense magnesium plate corrosion and alkaline environment increased struvite precipitation in the E-CW, with the proportion of 61.6%. The results of functional microbial community analysis revealed that the abundance of electroactive bacteria was positively correlated with the deposition of struvite. This study provided an essential reference for the targeted electrochemical regulation of electric field processes and microorganisms in CWs to enhance P recovery.

Mn oxides enhanced pyrene removal with both rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere microorganisms in subsurface flow constructed wetlands.

The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are substantial wastewater pollutants emitted mostly by petroleum refineries and petrochemical industries, and their environmental fate has been of increasing concern among the public. Consequently, subsurface flow constructed wetlands (SFCWs) filled with Mn oxides (W-CW) or without Mn oxides (K-CW) were established to investigate the performance and mechanisms of pyrene (PYR) removal. The average removal rates of PYR in W-CW and K-CW were 96.00% and 92.33%, respectively. The PYR removal via other pathways (microbial degradation, photolysis, volatilisation, etc.) occupied a sizeable proportion, while the total PYR content in K-CW plant roots was significantly higher than that of W-CW. The microorganisms on the root surface and rhizosphere played an important role in PYR degradation in W-CW and K-CW and were higher in W-CW than that in K-CW in all matrix zones. The microorganisms between the 10-16 cm zone from the bottom of W-CW filled with Mn oxides (W-16) were positively correlated with PYR-degrading microorganisms, aerobic bacteria and facultative anaerobes, whereas K-16 without birnessite-coated sand was negatively correlated with these microorganisms.

Comprehensive evaluation of manganese oxides and iron oxides as metal substrate materials for constructed wetlands from the perspective of water quality and greenhouse effect.

Manganese oxides and iron oxides have been widely introduced in constructed wetlands (CWs) for sewage treatment due to their extensiveness in nature and their ability to participate in various reactions, but their effects on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions remain unclear. Here, a set of vertical subsurface-flow CWs (Control, Fe-VSSCWs, and Mn-VSSCWs) was established to comprehensively evaluate which are the better metal substrate materials for CWs, iron oxides or manganese oxides, through water quality and the global warming potential (GWP) of nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4), and carbon dioxide (CO2). The results revealed that the removal efficiencies of chemical oxygen demand (COD), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) in Mn-VSSCWs were all higher than that in Fe-VSSCWs, and manganese oxides could almost completely suppress the CH4 production and reduce GWP (from 8.15 CO2-eq/m2/h to 7.17 mg CO2-eq/m2/h), however, iron oxides promoted GWP (from 8.15 CO2-eq/m2/h to 10.84 mg CO2-eq/m2/h), so manganese oxides are the better CW substrate materials to achieve effective sewage treatment while reducing the greenhouse gas effect.

Influence of application of manganese ore in constructed wetlands on the mechanisms and improvement of nitrogen and phosphorus removal.

Vertical up-flow constructed wetlands (CWs) with manganese ore (Mn ore) as media (M-CWs) were developed to treat simulated polluted river water. The results showed that the average removal efficiencies for NH4-N, NO3-N, TN and TP were 91.74%, 83.29%, 87.47% and 65.12% in M-CWs, respectively, which were only 79.12%, 72.90%, 75.85% and 43.23% in the CWs without Mn ore (C-CWs). Nutrient mass balance showed that nitrogen (N) removal was improved by enhanced microbial processes, media storage and plant uptake in M-CWs. Moreover, almost 50% of phosphorus (P) was retained by media storage because of the adsorption processes on Mn ore. It was found that addition of Mn ore enhanced denitrification as the relative abundance of denitrifying bacteria increased. The produced Mn(II) and more abundant Gammaproteobacteria confirmed alternative N removal pathways including anoxic nitrification coupled to Mn ore reduction and denitrification using Mn(II) as electron donor. Mn(II) concentration in the effluent of M-CWs was below the drinking water limit of 0.1 mg/L, which makes them environmentally-friendly.

Effects of shenling baizhu powder herbal formula on intestinal microbiota in high-fat diet-induced NAFLD rats.

BACKGROUND: Worldwide, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a common chronic liver disease closely associated with obesity, diabetes and other metabolic diseases. Shenling Baizhu powder (SLBZP), a formulation of a variety of natural medicinal plants, has hepatoprotective properties and clinical efficacy in treating non-infectious intestinal disease. SLBZP has improved NAFLD symptoms; however, its mechanism of action is unknown. METHODS: We established an NAFLD model in rats given a high-fat diet (HFD), administered different interventions and measured serum biochemical indices and inflammatory factors. Liver tissues were stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) and oil red O, and colon tissues were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. The expression profiles of liver TLR4 pathway related protein was confirmed by western blotting. Changes in intestinal microbiota composition were analyzed using a 16S rDNA sequencing technique. RESULTS: Of note, SLBZP effectively reduced body weight in HFD-fed rats (p < 0.05). Serum biochemical analysis indicated that SLBZP decreased the serum level of total cholesterol (TC) and improved liver function. Additionally, SLBZP decreased the serum level of endotoxin, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin-1ß (IL-ß) (p < 0.05), and decreased the expression of TLR4 pathway related protein. Pathological examination showed that SLBZP alleviates hepatic steatosis and repairs colon mucosa. Microbiome analysis revealed that SLBZP improved the abundance of intestinal microbiota. In taxonomy-based analysis, compared with control rats, SLBZP-treated rats showed obvious changes in intestinal microbiota composition. Moreover, SLBZP increased the relative abundance of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA)-producing bacteria, including Bifidobacterium and Anaerostipes. CONCLUSION: Taken together, these results suggest that the effects of SLBZP against NAFLD may be related to the increased abundance of beneficial gut microbiota and decreased levels of LPS in the portal vein.

Enhanced nutrient removal and mechanisms study in benthic fauna added surface-flow constructed wetlands: The role of Tubifex tubifex.

This study designed a combined benthic fauna-T. orientalis-substrate-microbes surface-flow constructed wetlands (SFCWs) through the addition of T. tubifex. Results showed that, the removal efficiencies of nitrogen and phosphorus in the tested SFCWs achieved 81.14±4.16% and 70.49±7.60%, which were 22.27% and 27.35% higher than that without T. tubifex. Lower nitrate (2.11±0.79mg/L) and ammonium (0.75±0.64mg/L) were also observed in the tested SFCWs, which were 3.46mg/L and 0.52mg/L lower than that without T. tubifex. Microbial study confirmed the increased denitrifiers with T. tubifex. The lower nitrogen in effluent was also attributed to higher contents of nitrogen storage in sediment and T. orientalis due to the bioturbation of T. tubifex. Furthermore, with T. tubifex, higher proportions of particulate (22.66±3.96%) and colloidal phosphorus (20.57±3.39%) observed promoted phosphorus settlement and further absorption by T. orientalis. The outcomes of this study provides an ecological and economical strategy for improving the performance of SFCWs.

Microbial community characteristics during simultaneous nitrification-denitrification process: effect of COD/TP ratio.

To evaluate the impact of chemical oxygen demand (COD)/total phosphorus (TP) ratio on microbial community characteristics during low-oxygen simultaneous nitrification and denitrification process, three anaerobic-aeration (low-oxygen) sequencing batch reactors, namely R1, R2, and R3, were performed under three different COD/TP ratios of 91.6, 40.8, and 27.6. The community structures of each reactor were analyzed via molecular biological technique. The results showed that the composition of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) was affected, indicated by Shannon indexes of the samples from R1, R2, and R3. Nitrosomonas was identified to be the dominant AOB in all SBRs. Moreover, the copy numbers of nitrifiers were more than those of denitrifiers, and the phosphorus-accumulating organisms to glycogen-accumulating organisms ratio increased with the decrease of COD/TP ratio.

[Cognitive impairment in earthquake brain injury treated with comprehensive program of acupuncture and rehabilitation: a randomized controlled trial].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the comprehensive program of integrated Chinese and western medicine in the treatment of cognitive impairment in earthquake brain injury. METHODS: The multi-central randomized controlled trial was adopted. The qualified subjects were randomized into an acupuncture + rehabilitation group (38 cases) and a rehabilitation group (35 cases). In the acupuncture + rehabilitation group, acupuncture, hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) and cognitive rehabilitation training were combined as the comprehensive program of integrated Chinese and western medicine in the treatment. In the rehabilitation group, HBO and cognitive rehabilitation training were adopted. The efficacy and safety were assessed. RESULTS: (1) After treatment of 2 months, the intelligent state, cognitive function and activity of daily life of patients were improved in the both groups (all P < 0.01). (2) After treatment of 2 months, the score of MMSE and the score of activity of daily life were (24.11 +/- 4.08) and (75.45 +/- 13.95) in the acupuncture + rehabilitation group, which were more significant as compared with (17.05 +/- 43.84), (66.06 +/- 12.75) in the rehabilitation group, respectively (both P < 0.01). In 6-month follow-up visit after treatment, the cognitive function and activity of daily life were improved continuously in the acupuncture + rehabilitation group, which was more significant as compared with the rehabilitation group (P < 0.01, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The integrated Chinese and western medicine of acupuncture, HBO and cognitive rehabilitation training is safe and effective in the treatment of cognitive impairment in earthquake brain injury. The therapeutic effect is more advantageous as compared with the simple rehabilitation program of western medicine.

Biosafety evaluation of bacteriophages for treatment of diarrhea due to intestinal pathogen Escherichia coli 3-2 infection of chickens.

Intestinal Escherichia coli caused diarrhea in chicken makes serious damage directly to the chicken culture industry. Bacteriophage therapy is able to control the diarrhea in chickens effectively. In this study, the biosafety of bacteriophages was evaluated for treating intestinal pathogenic E. coli, which induced diarrhea in chickens. Ten bacteriophages were isolated from feces of chickens with diarrhea using the ill-chicken intestinal pathogenic E. coli 3-2 as target organism. Three bacteriophages propagated on E. coli 3-2 with relative big and clear plaques were selected and used together for toxicity experiment and evaluating the effect of therapy on chicken weight gain. In 3 weeks of trial, no mice given with or without mixed bacteriophages died, and the weight of mice of the experimental group did not show significant difference to the control group after 3 weeks infection. Besides remarkable decreasing the death rate of chickens with diarrhea, treatment of mixed bacteriophages also promoted the weight gain and saved the diet consumption as the utilize rate of diet increased 11% compared with the control group. These observations indicated that a mixture of three bacteriophages would be biosafe for rapid and effective preventing pathogenic E. coli infections.

Effect of anoxic/aerobic phase fraction on N2O emission in a sequencing batch reactor under low temperature.

Laboratory scale anoxic/aerobic sequencing batch reactor (A/O SBR) was operated around 15°C to evaluate the effect of anoxic/aerobic phase fraction (PF) on N(2)O emission. The ammonia removal exhibited a decrease trend with the increase of PF, while the highest total nitrogen removal was achieved at PF=0.5. Almost all the N(2)O was emitted during the aerobic phase, despite of the PF value. However, the net emission of N(2)O was affected by PF. Under the premise of completely aerobic nitrification, the lowest N(2)O emission was achieved at PF=0.5, with a N(2)O-N conversion rate of 9.8%. At lower PF (PF=0.2), N(2)O emission was stimulated by residual nitrite caused by uncompleted denitrification during the anoxic phase. On the other hand, the exhaustion of the easily degradable carbon was the major cause for the high N(2)O emission at higher PF (PF=0.5). The N(2)O emission increased with the decreasing temperature. The time-weighted N(2)O emission quantity at 15°C was 2.9 times higher than that at 25°C.

[Observation on activating effectiveness of acupuncture at acupoints and non-acupoints on different brain regions].

OBJECTIVE: To probe the theoretical basis of acupuncture by investigating the relationship of 'true' acupuncture and 'sham' acupuncture, with the cerebral functions observed by means of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). METHODS: Eighteen healthy volunteers with normal vision were randomly divided into group A and B. Firstly, all the volunteers received 'sham' acupuncture, and then acupuncture was given at Guangming (GB 37) and Taichong (LR 3) in the group A, and Fenglong (ST 40) and Xiangu (ST 43) were given in the group Activation in the thalamus, B.A 1.5 Tesla Vision Scanner (Siemens, Erlangen) was used for imaging. RESULTS: Activation in the thalamus, the red nucleus, the sulcus lateralis and the parieto-temporal cortex proved that there was a significant difference between true acupuncture and sham acupuncture in the GLM test. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture does not have effects on the visual cortex, but it has active action on the insula sulcus lateralis and the parieto-temporal cortex, which are involved in painful and somatosensory stimulation.

Bacteriophage Esc-A is an efficient therapy for Escherichia coli 3-1 caused diarrhea in chickens.

The bacteriophage Esc-A was isolated from sewage by using the intestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli 3-1 as the host. Toxicity in chickens showed its safety as a bio-product. Phage therapy against diarrhea in chickens indicated that Esc-A could decrease the death rate more efficiently compared with antibiotic treatments.