High efficiency electrochemical separation of uranium(VI) from uranium-containing wastewater by microbial fuel cells with different cathodes.

As an emerging versatile technology for separating uranium from uranium-containing wastewater (UCW), microbial fuel cell (MFC) offers a novel approach to UCW treatment. Its cathode is essential for the treatment of UCW. To thoroughly investigate the efficacy of MFC in treating UCW, investigations were conducted using MFCs with five materials (containing iron sheet (IP), stainless steel mesh (SSM), carbon cloth (CC), carbon brush (CB), and nickel foam (NF)) as cathodes. The results revealed that each MFC system performed differently in terms of carbon source degradation, uranium removal, and electricity production. In terms of carbon source degradation, CB-MFC showed the best performance. The best uranium removal method was NF-MFC, and the best electricity production method was carbon-based cathode MFC. Five MFC systems demonstrated stable performance and consistent difference over five cycles, with CC-MFC outperforming the others. Furthermore, SEM and XPS characterization of the cathode materials before and after the experiment revealed that a significant amount of U(IV) was generated during the uranium removal process, indicating that uranium ions were primarily removed by electrochemical reduction precipitation. This study confirmed that abiotic cathode MFC had a high UCW removal potential and served as a good guideline for obtaining the best cathode for MFC.

A novel solar-powered electrochemical mineralization system for persistent remediation of uranium-contaminated groundwater.

Reduction of the migratory ability of uranium via reduction, co-precipitation or immobilization is a widely used technology for remediation of uranium contaminated groundwater (UCG). However, the re-released uranium due to environmental alterations such as oxidation, acid dissolution, or microbial decomposition limits the long-term effect of UCG remediation. Here, we developed a novel solar-powered electrochemical mineralization (SPEM) system for persistent remediation of UCG under laboratory conditions. The SPEM system incorporates uranium into magnetite crystal to achieve long-term stability of uranium. The effects of photoelectric conversion, subsurface void fraction, groundwater seepage velocity, and electrode configuration on uranium removal were systematically analyzed. The results showed that the remediation system had excellent adaptability to complex water quality and geological conditions, and could remediate large-area contamination. After 12 h of persistent treatment, the system with newly hexagonal two-dimensional electrode configuration (1A6C) reduced uranium concentration by more than 85% in simulated subsurface environment. The mineralized uranium was not re-released within continuous rinsing of treated regions using an acid solution (pH = 3.0), for 370 h. The developed method solely requires metallic iron as a raw material, which has high and long-term efficiency, is eco-friendly, simple, and widely applicable, thus reliable for the remediation of deep UCG.

Analysis of Acupoint Selection and Combinations in Acupuncture Treatment of Asthma Based on Data Mining.

OBJECTIVE: Asthma is a highly prevalent respiratory disease that remains difficult to control. Acupuncture, as an important alternative therapeutic modality in preventing and treating asthma, is widely used in the world due to its promising efficacy and safety. Although acupoint selection and combinations are critical to therapeutic effects of acupuncture, its fundamental rules for asthma have not been fully understood. Thus, using data mining, the present study aimed to discover the most effective acupoints and combinations in the acupuncture treatment of asthma. METHODS: Controlled clinical trials (CCTs) of acupuncture treatment for asthma were searched and retrieved from databases including Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, and PubMed. Data regarding the main acupoints prescribed in these clinical trials was collected and quantified. A network analysis was performed to uncover the interconnections between the acupoints. Additionally, hierarchical clustering analysis and association rule mining were conducted to discover the potential acupoint combinations. RESULTS: A total of 183 CCTs were retrieved. Feishu (BL13), Dingchuan (EX-B1), Dazhui (GV14), Shengshu (BL23), Pishu (BL20), and Fengmen (BL12) appeared to be the most frequently used acupoints for asthma. While the Bladder Meridian of Foot Taiyang, the Governor Vessel, and the Conception Vessel, compared to other meridians, were found to be the more commonly selected meridians. In the acupoint interconnection network, Feishu (BL13), Fengmen (BL12), Dingchuan (EX-B1), and Dazhui (GV14) were defined as key node acupoints. Moreover, acupoint clustering analysis revealed the treatment principle of "facilitating the flow of the lung Qi, tonifying spleen and kidney, and treating both the symptoms and root causes." Association rule mining analysis demonstrated that the combination of Pishu, Shenshu, Feishu, and Dingchuan, as well as that of Feishu, Dazhui, and Fengmen were potential acupoint combinations that should be selected with priority in asthma treatment. CONCLUSION: Based on a data mining analysis of published CCTs, this study provides valuable information regarding the selection of the most effective acupoints and combinations for clinical acupuncture practice and experimental study aimed at the prevention and treatment of asthma.

A non-polluting method for rapidly purifying uranium-containing wastewater and efficiently recovering uranium through electrochemical mineralization and oxidative roasting.

Iron-based materials have been widely used for treating uranium-containing wastewater. However, the iron-uranium solids originating by treating radioactive water through pollutant transfer methods has become a new uncontrolled source of persistent radioactive pollution. The safe disposal of such hazardous waste is not yet well-resolved. The electrochemical mineralization method was developed to rapidly purify uranium-containing wastewater through lattice doping in magnetite and recover uranium without generating any pollutants. An unexpected isolation of U3O8 from uranium-doped magnetite was discovered through in-situ XRD with a temperature variation from 300 °C to 700 °C. Through HRTEM and DFT calculation, it was confirmed that the destruction of the inverse spinel crystal structure during the gradual transformation of magnetite into γ-Fe2O3 and α-Fe2O3 promoted the migration, aggregation, and isolation of uranium atoms. Uniquely generated U3O8 and Fe2O3 were easily separated and over 80% uranium and 99.5% iron could be recovered. These results demonstrate a new strategy for uranium utilization and the environmentally friendly treatment of uranium-containing wastewater.

Selenium-doped calcium phosphate biomineral reverses multidrug resistance to enhance bone tumor chemotherapy.

The construction of a functional drug delivery system to reverse the multidrug resistance (MDR) of bone tumors in cases of failed chemotherapy remains a challenge. Herein, we demonstrate a selenium-doped calcium phosphate (Se-CaP) biomineral with high biocompatibility, biodegradability and pH-sensitive drug release properties. Se-CaP may not only serve as an effective drug-carrier to enhance the uptake of doxorubicin (DOX), but may also synchronously induce caspases-mediated apoptosis of osteosarcoma by generating intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Furthermore, in vitro and in vivo studies obviously demonstrate that Se-CaP can reverse the MDR of osteosarcoma by down-regulating the expression of MDR-related ABC (ATP binding cassette) transporters proteins (ABCB1 and ABCC1). Finally, DOX-loaded Se-CaP can significantly inhibit DOX-resistant MG63 (MG63/DXR) tumor growth in nude mice. Considering its biomimetic chemical properties, the Se-CaP biomineral, with the multiple functions mentioned above, could be a promising candidate for treating bone tumors with MDR characteristics.

Radical prostatectomy after previous transurethral resection of the prostate: oncological, surgical and functional outcomes-a meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: The current study aimed to carry out a comprehensive meta-analysis on the existing evidence to quantify and compare the oncological, surgical and functional outcomes following radical prostatectomy between TURP group and Non-TURP group. METHODS: A systematic literature search was conducted using EMBASE, PubMed and Cochrane databases to identify relevant studies published in English up to March 2019. A meta-analysis was conducted using Review Manager. RESULTS: There were 13 studies included in the present study. Our results suggest that TURP group demonstrates a significantly higher positive surgical margin rate, bladder neck reconstruction rate and overall complication rate compared with Non-TURP group (OR = 1.31, 95% CI 1.09-1.58, P = 0.004, I2 = 0%; OR = 14.36, 95% CI 2.93-70.45, P = 0.001, I2 = 81%; OR = 2.63, 95% CI 1.87-3.71, P < 0.00001, I2 = 0%); whereas TURP group demonstrates a significantly lower nerve sparing rate compared with Non-TURP group (OR = 0.30, 95% CI 0.22-0.43, P < 0.00001, I2 = 40%); the operation time, blood loss and 1-year urinary continence rate are same between TURP group and Non-TURP group (MD = 4.25, 95% CI - 0.13 to 8.63, P = 0.06, I2 = 34%; MD = 27.29, 95% CI - 10.31 to 64.90, P = 0.15, I2 = 39%; OR = 0.68, 95% CI 0.43-1.06, P = 0.09, I2 = 0%). CONCLUSION: This meta-analysis demonstrates that Non-TURP group may have a great advantage over TURP group in terms of positive surgical margin rate, bladder neck reconstruction rate, overall complication rate and sparing rate. The operation time, blood loss and 1-year urinary continence rate are comparable between TURP group and Non-TURP group. Therefore, important information should be given to those patients at risk of prostate cancer that TURP procedure may increase perioperative complications in case of a following radical prostatectomy. In the meantime, our meta-analysis found that each of these four subgroups (RARP, LRP, ORP and RARP/ORP) has its own advantages or disadvantages in every pool results. So when radical prostatectomy is performed on patients with TURP history, the appropriate operation method should be selected as per the conditions of patients, doctors and hospitals.

Acupotomy for nerve entrapment syndrome: A systematic review protocol.

BACKGROUND: Acupotomy has been widely used to treat nerve entrapment syndrome. But its efficiency has not been scientifically and methodically evaluated. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the acupotomy treatment in patients with nerve entrapment syndrome. METHODS: Fifteen databases will be searched from inception to Dec 2019. We will include randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing acupotomy for nerve entrapment syndrome. All RCTs on acupotomy or related interventions will be included. Study inclusion, data extraction and quality assessment will be performed independently by 2 reviewers. Assessment of risk of bias and data synthesis will be performed using RevMan 5.3 software. Cochrane criteria for risk-of-bias will be used to assess the methodological quality of the trials. RESULTS: This study will provide a high-quality synthesis of pain VAS and functional disability or the quality of life, the success treatment rate, the recurrent rate and the complications rate to assess the effectiveness and safety of acupotomy for nerve entrapment syndrome patients. CONCLUSION: This systematic review will provide evidence to judge whether acupotomy is an effective intervention for patients with nerve entrapment syndrome. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42018109086.

A comparison between acupotomy vs the local steroid injection for the management of soft tissue disorder: A systematic review protocol.

BACKGROUND: This systematic review protocol aims to provide the methods used to evaluate the effectiveness of acupotomy therapy for treating soft tissue disorder comparing to local steroid injection. METHODS: Fifteen databases will be searched from inception to Dec 2019. We will include randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing acupotomy for soft tissue disorder. All RCTs on acupotomy or related interventions will be included. Study inclusion, data extraction and quality assessment will be performed independently by two reviewers. Assessment of risk of bias and data synthesis will be performed using RevMan 5.3 software. Cochrane criteria for risk-of-bias will be used to assess the methodological quality of the trials. RESULTS: This study will provide a high-quality synthesis of pain visual analog scale and functional disability or the quality of life, the success treatment rate, the recurrent rate, and the complications rate to assess the effectiveness and safety of acupotomy for soft tissue disorder patients compare to local steroid injection. CONCLUSION: This systematic review will provide evidence to judge whether acupotomy is an effective intervention for patients with soft tissue disorder. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42018109080.

Boosting Photocatalytic Performance in Mixed-Valence MIL-53(Fe) by Changing FeII/FeIII Ratio.

One of vital issues that inhibit photoactivity of metal-organic frameworks is the poor electrical conductivity. In this work, one-dimensional mixed-valence iron chains are used to improve this poor situation in MIL-53(Fe). A series of mixed-valence MIL-53(Fe) photocatalysts were obtained through heating at different temperatures in vacuum. The effect of FeII coordinatively unsaturated metal sites (CUS) and one-dimensional mixed-valence iron chains on their photocatalytic property was discussed. The experimental results indicated that mixed-valence MIL-53(Fe) with a reference FeII/FeIII ratio of 0.2725 displayed the best photocatalytic performance, which showed 96.28 and 95.01% removal efficiencies of RhB and TC-H in 100 min, respectively. Moreover, MIL-53(Fe) heated in vacuum displayed better catalytic activity than MIL-53(Fe) heated in air for RhB and TC-H degradation. Based on the analysis of various characterizations, the reinforced catalytic activity can be attributed to the charge mobilities in mixed-valence FeII/FeIII chains. It is worth mentioning that the method is also applicable to MIL-88(Fe) and MIL-101(Fe). Additionally, mixed-valence MIL-53(Fe) can also perform the catalysis reaction in the nighttime by activating persulfate (PS) to produce free radicals. Interestingly, it was found that the FeII CUS lost in activating PS can be supplemented by self-reduction of photogenerated electrons during illumination in the daytime, so as to achieve a more stable cycle. This work demonstrated that the photoactivity of MIL-53(Fe) can be improved by adjusting the ratio of FeII/FeIII and the feasibility of using as an all-day-active catalyst.

What Is the Appropriate Acupuncture Treatment Schedule for Chronic Pain? Review and Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

BACKGROUND: Acupuncture is widely used for the treatment of chronic pain. Different protocols of acupuncture practice exist and lack agreement on the optimal schedule of acupuncture treatment. OBJECTIVE: To review the appropriate acupuncture treatment schedule for chronic pain. METHODS: Embase, Pubmed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and reference lists were searched from 2009 to 2018 to identify randomized controlled trials of acupuncture for chronic pain conditions. We collected factors of treatment schedule (D, duration of each treatment session; N, number of treatment sessions; T, total duration of treatment in weeks) from each of the trials, and the linear regression analysis with real pain relief rate (both treatment and follow-up) was performed. Furthermore, we recommend the concept of "DOSE" and frequency (F) to evaluate the dose and frequency effect of acupuncture. RESULTS: Twenty-four trials with a total number of 3461 patients met the inclusion criteria. Of these, data from 23 studies were available for analysis. Firstly, the results showed that follow-up pain relief rate was decreased slightly with the increase of the duration of each session and DOSE (r=-0.3414 and r=-0.3246, respectively), but those two factors had no correlation with the pain relief rate after treatment. Secondly, it showed that either lower frequency with 2 sessions/week and higher frequency greater than 2 sessions/week or DOSE of 30 mins/week can achieve higher pain relief rate after treatment. Thirdly, we found the rate of pain relief remained at a high level greater than 20% up to 18 weeks after the treatment, and then it dropped sharply below 10% with the follow-up extended. A positive relationship was found between study score and pain relief both in treatment and follow-up (r=0.4654 and r=0.3046, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The effect of acupuncture varies greatly with the different schedules of acupuncture, so it is necessary to review and choose the appropriate schedule. Although the current work is based on a limited number of trials, the findings suggest that acupuncture has a dose and frequency effect presenting within a certain range, which would have considerable implications for the design and interpretation of clinical trials. More high-quality randomized controlled trials on acupuncture schedule research were needed for providing more definitive evidence.

Molecular Markers to Detect the Formation of Heterokaryon and Homokaryon from Asexual Spores of the Caterpillar Medicinal Mushroom, Cordyceps militaris (Ascomycetes).

Cordyceps militaris is widely cultivated on artificial media in China; however, the cultures often are afflicted with the degeneration of nonfruiting strains. To understand the mechanism of degeneration of C. militaris, from the heterokaryotic strain into the homokaryotic strain, we examined the mating-type genes present in individual asexual spores. Further, we determined the distribution ratio of the different mating-type genes among a sample of asexual spores and the growth rate of heterokaryotic and homokaryotic strains of C. militaris. The distribution ratio of 3 groups of asexual spores from C. militaris heterokaryotic strains was determined as 1:1:1 by statistical analysis, whereas that of the two types of nuclei among asexual spores was 1:1. Nearly two-thirds of the asexual spore isolates were homokaryon, which showed a growth speed similar to the heterokaryon. However, the homokaryon (bearing mating-type MAT-HMG) grew significantly faster at times compared with the heterokaryon. Therefore, the purity of the spawn was difficult to establish. C. militaris heterokaryotic strains can transform into a homokaryotic strain following continued subculture.

Production of salidroside in metabolically engineered Escherichia coli.

Salidroside (1) is the most important bioactive component of Rhodiola (also called as "Tibetan Ginseng"), which is a valuable medicinal herb exhibiting several adaptogenic properties. Due to the inefficiency of plant extraction and chemical synthesis, the supply of salidroside (1) is currently limited. Herein, we achieved unprecedented biosynthesis of salidroside (1) from glucose in a microorganism. First, the pyruvate decarboxylase ARO10 and endogenous alcohol dehydrogenases were recruited to convert 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate (2), an intermediate of L-tyrosine pathway, to tyrosol (3) in Escherichia coli. Subsequently, tyrosol production was improved by overexpressing the pathway genes, and by eliminating competing pathways and feedback inhibition. Finally, by introducing Rhodiola-derived glycosyltransferase UGT73B6 into the above-mentioned recombinant strain, salidroside (1) was produced with a titer of 56.9 mg/L. Interestingly, the Rhodiola-derived glycosyltransferase, UGT73B6, also catalyzed the attachment of glucose to the phenol position of tyrosol (3) to form icariside D2 (4), which was not reported in any previous literatures.

[Simultaneous determination of ten active ginsenosides in steamed notoginseng by UPLC].

A quantitative method using ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography was established to simultaneously determine ten ginsenoside active ingredients including ginsenoside Rg6, F4, Rk3, Rh4, 20(S) -Rg3, 20(R) -Rg3, Rk1, Rg5, 20(S)-Rh2 and 20(R)-Rh2 in steamed notoginseng. The ten ginsenosides of steamed notoginseng with different head numbers, parts, and steaming time were determined by this method. An Acquity BEH C18 chromatographic column (2.1 mm x 100 mm, 1.7 microm) was used to perform the determination, which was maintained at 35 degrees C throughout the analysis. Mobile phase was composed of water and acetonitrile with flow rate at 0.3 mL x min(-1) under gradient elution, and detection wavelength was set to 203 nm for monitoring the separation. The results demonstrate ginsenoside Rg6, F4, Rk3, Rh4, 20 (S)-Rg3, 20 (R) -Rg3, Rk1, Rg5, 20 (S)-Rh2 and 20(R) -Rh2 have shown good linearity (R2 > or = 0.999 8) within 0.46-115, 2.06-515, 1.632408, 3.216-804, 1.392-348, 1.4-350, 0.496-248, 3.012-1 506, 0.82-205 and 0.832-208 mg x L(-1), and their average recoveries were 97.00%, 97.96%, 98.86%, 95.27%, 98.67%, 98.02%, 95.53%, 96.63%, 99.57% and 103.6%, respectively. The proposed approach was quick and accurate and portrayed excellent repeatability and determination efficiency. The quality of steamed notoginseng was effectively controlled, which served as a foundation for establishing a normalized processing technique and quality standard for ensuring the reliability and consistency of its clinical efficacy.

Folate polyglutamylation is involved in chromatin silencing by maintaining global DNA methylation and histone H3K9 dimethylation in Arabidopsis.

DNA methylation and repressive histone Histone3 Lysine9 (H3K9) dimethylation correlate with chromatin silencing in plants and mammals. To identify factors required for DNA methylation and H3K9 dimethylation, we screened for suppressors of the repressor of silencing1 (ros1) mutation, which causes silencing of the expression of the RD29A (RESPONSE TO DESSICATION 29A) promoter-driven luciferase transgene (RD29A-LUC) and the 35S promoter-driven NPTII (NEOMYCIN PHOSPHOTRANSFERASE II) transgene (35S-NPTII). We identified the folylpolyglutamate synthetase FPGS1 and the known factor DECREASED DNA METHYLATION1 (DDM1). The fpgs1 and ddm1 mutations release the silencing of both RD29A-LUC and 35S-NPTII. Genome-wide analysis indicated that the fpgs1 mutation reduces DNA methylation and releases chromatin silencing at a genome-wide scale. The effect of fpgs1 on chromatin silencing is correlated with reduced levels of DNA methylation and H3K9 dimethylation. Supplementation of fpgs1 mutants with 5-formyltetrahydrofolate, a stable form of folate, rescues the defects in DNA methylation, histone H3K9 dimethylation, and chromatin silencing. The competitive inhibitor of methyltransferases, S-adenosylhomocysteine, is markedly upregulated in fpgs1, by which fpgs1 reduces S-adenosylmethionine accessibility to methyltransferases and accordingly affects DNA and histone methylation. These results suggest that FPGS1-mediated folate polyglutamylation is required for DNA methylation and H3K9 dimethylation through its function in one-carbon metabolism. Our study makes an important contribution to understanding the complex interplay among metabolism, development, and epigenetic regulation.