[Cardiovascular complications in malaria: a review].

Malaria, one of the major global public health events, is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity among children and adults in tropical and subtropical regions(mainly in sub-Saharan Africa), threatening human health. It is well known that malaria can cause various complications including anemia, blackwater fever, cerebral malaria, and kidney damage. Conventionally, cardiac involvement has not been listed as a common reason affecting morbidity and mortality of malaria, which may be related to ignored cases or insufficient diagnosis. However, the serious clinical consequences such as acute coronary syndrome, heart failure, and malignant arrhythmia caused by malaria have aroused great concern. At present, antimalarials are commonly used for treating malaria in clinical practice. However, inappropriate medication can increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases and cause severe consequences. This review summarized the research advances in the cardiovascular complications including acute myocardial infarction, arrhythmia, hypertension, heart failure, and myocarditis in malaria. The possible mechanisms of cardiovascular diseases caused by malaria were systematically expounded from the hypotheses of cell adhesion, inflammation and cytokines, myocardial apoptosis induced by plasmodium toxin, cardiac injury secondary to acute renal failure, and thrombosis. Furthermore, the effects of quinolines, nucleoprotein synthesis inhibitors, and artemisinin and its derivatives on cardiac structure and function were summarized. Compared with the cardiac toxicity of quinolines in antimalarial therapy, the adverse effects of artemisinin-derived drugs on heart have not been reported in clinical studies. More importantly, the artemisinin-derived drugs demonstrate favorable application prospects in the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases, and are expected to play a role in the treatment of malaria patients with cardiovascular diseases. This review provides reference for the prevention and treatment of malaria-related cardiovascular complications as well as the safe application of antimalarials.

[Effect of Influent C/N Ratio on the Nutrient Removal Characteristics of SNEDPR Systems].

To determine the performance of nitrogen and phosphorus removal within a simultaneous nitrification endogenous denitrification system (SNEDPR), an extended anaerobic/low aerobic (dissolved oxygen:0.5-2.0 mg·L-1)-operated sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was fed with simulation wastewater. The SBR was initiated under a constant influent C/N ratio of 10, with the simultaneous enrichment of polyphosphate-accumulating organisms (PAOs). It was then investigated at different influent C/N ratios of 10, 7.5, 5, and 2.5. The experimental results indicated that, when the influent C/N ratio was 10, SNEDPR could be successfully started up. The effluent PO43--P and total nitrogen (TN) concentrations were 0.1 mg·L-1 and 8.1 mg·L-1. PO43--P efficiency, TN efficiency, and SNED efficiency were 99.79%, 89.38%, and 58.0%, respectively. When the influent C/N ratio increased from 5 to 10, the nitrogen and phosphorus removal performance of the system improved with PRA, and SNED efficiency increased from 16.0 m·L-1 and 48.0% to 24.4 mg·L-1 and 69.2%, respectively. When the C/N ratio was 10, the TN and PO43--P removal efficiencies increased to 94.5% and 100%, respectfully. When the C/N ratio was decreased to 2.5, the nitrogen and phosphorus removal performance of the system decreased. The PRA and SNED efficiencies were only 1.36 mg·L-1 and 10%, respectively. During the stable phase of the system (C/N ratio were 10, 7.5 and 5), SNED efficiency reached to 85.9%, with the average effluent concentration of NH4+-N, x--N, and PO43--P being 0.0, 8.1, and 0.1 mg·L-1, respectively.

Injectable hydrogel encapsulating Cu2MnS2 nanoplates for photothermal therapy against breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: In order to explore the possibility of treating breast cancer by local photo-therapy, a photothermal agents loaded in situ hydrogel was established. In detail, The Cu2MnS2 nanoplates were prepared by one-pot synthesis and, the thermosensitive Pluronic F127 was used as the hydrogel matrix. The Cu2MnS2 nanoplates and the hydrogel were characterized by morphous, particle size, serum stability, photothermal performance upon repeated 808 nm laser irradiation as well as the rheology features. The therapeutic effects of the Cu2MnS2 nanoplates and the hydrogel were evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively in 4T1 mouse breast cancer cells. The retention, photothermal efficacy, therapeutic effects and systemic toxicity of the hydrogel were assessed in tumor bearing mouse model. RESULTS: The Cu2MnS2 nanoplates with a diameter of about 35 nm exhibited satisfying serum stability, photo-heat conversion ability and repeated laser exposure stability. The hydrogel encapsulation did not negatively influence the above features of the photothermal agent. The nanoplates loaded in situ hydrogel shows a phase transition at body temperature and, as a result, a long retention in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: The photothermal agent embedded hydrogel played a promising photothermal therapeutic effects in tumor bearing mouse model with low systemic toxicity after peritumoral administration.