[Adsorption Properties of Magnetic Phosphorous Camellia Oleifera Shells Biochar to Sulfamethoxazole in Water].

Magnetic phosphorous biochar （MPBC） was prepared from Camellia oleifera shells using phosphoric acid activation and iron co-deposition. The materials were characterized and analyzed through scanning electron microscopy （SEM）， X-ray diffractometry （XRD）， specific surface area and pore size analysis （BET）， Fourier infrared spectroscopy （FT-IR）， and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS）. MPBC had a high surface area （1 139.28 m2·g-1） and abundant surface functional groups， and it could achieve fast solid-liquid separation under the action of an external magnetic field. The adsorption behavior and influencing factors of sulfamethoxazole （SMX） in water were investigated. The adsorbent showed excellent adsorption properties for SMX under acidic and neutral conditions， and alkaline conditions and the presence of CO32- had obvious inhibition on adsorption. The adsorption process conformed to the quasi-second-order kinetics and Langmuir model. The adsorption rate was fast， and the maximum adsorption capacity reached 356.49 mg·g-1. The adsorption process was a spontaneous exothermic reaction， and low temperature was beneficial to the adsorption. The adsorption mechanism was mainly the chemisorption of pyrophosphate surface functional groups （C-O-P bond） between the SMX molecule and MPBC and also included hydrogen bonding， π-π electron donor-acceptor （π-πEDA） interaction， and a pore filling effect. The development of MPBC adsorbent provides an effective way for resource utilization of waste Camellia oleifera shells and treatment of sulfamethoxazole wastewater.

Occurrence of antibiotic resistome in farmland soils near phosphorus chemical industrial area.

Heavy metal pollution of soil surrounding phosphorus chemical industry has been a long-concerned problem; however, the occurrence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in farmland soils in its vicinity remains unexplored. In this study, variations of heavy metals, ARGs, mobile genetic elements (MGEs), and microbiome in surface soils of farmland along the prevailing downwind direction of a phosphorus chemical industrial zone were investigated. Cadmium (Cd) contents in soils close to the industrial zone (≤ 500 m away) were statistically higher than those at greater distances (1000 to 4000 m). A comparable ARG diversity was observed across soils, while the relative abundance of ARGs decreased markedly with increasing distance in the range of 1000 m. The soil in closest proximity to the industrial zone (20 m away) exhibited divergent compositions of ARGs, MGEs, and bacterial community from the other soils at farther locations (500 to 4000 m away). Variation partitioning analysis revealed that Cd and MGEs levels were the primary factors controlling ARG distribution. Structural equation modeling further indicated that the direct effect of Cd on ARG abundance was stronger than its indirect effect via affecting MGEs and microbiome. The observed prevalence of ARGs in farmland soils highlights the necessity of including resistome in the framework for environmental risk assessment of phosphorus chemical manufacturing.

Astragalus Improved Cardiac Function of Adriamycin-Injured Rat Hearts by Upregulation of SERCA2a Expression.

The traditional Chinese medical herb Astragalus, the dried root of Astragalus membranaceus (Fisch.) Bge., has been widely applied to treat patients with cardiovascular disease in China and has profound cardioprotective effects. This study investigated the effect of Astragalus on hemodynamic changes in adriamycin (ADR)-injured rat hearts and its underlying molecular mechanism. Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four groups: control, ADR only, ADR + low dose of Astragalus and ADR + high dose of Astragalus. Rats were injected intraperitoneally with 6 equal doses of ADR (cumulative dose, 12 mg/kg) over a period of 2 weeks. Treatment of Astragalus began 1 day before the onset of ADR injection and was given orally once a day for 50 days (3.3 or 10 g/kg/day). Five weeks after the final injection of ADR, rats treated with ADR only showed a significant inhibition of cardiac diastolic function accompanied by the presence of ascites, a remarkable reduction in body weight and heart weight as well as survival rate compared to the controls. Moreover, SERCA2a mRNA and protein expressions in hearts were obviously downregulated by ADR. However, this impaired cardiac function was significantly improved in both doses of Astragalus feeding groups. The amount of ascites was also reduced in a similar extent in these 2 groups. Only the high dose treatment of Astragalus significantly attenuated the changes of SERCA2a expression in injured hearts and improved survival. These results indicated that Astragalus could improve cardiac function of ADR-injured rat hearts, which was partly mediated by upregulation of SERCA2a expression.

A clinical study on global TCM therapy in treating senile advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the clinical efficacy of global traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) therapy in treating senile advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with the aim of seeking a standardized, rational and economical way to treat advanced NSCLC in old patients. METHODS: A retrospective analysis and comparison was carried out in 86 patients with senile advanced NSCLC, 44 treated by global TCM (TCM group) and 42 by chemotherapy (control group) through dynamical observation on related indexes including tumor size, quality of life and the survival time, as well as on the fee for medical service at various time points in the course of the treatment. RESULTS: The changes of tumor size, score of clinical main symptoms and behavior condition (by ZPS scoring), as well as survival rates in the two groups at corresponding time points, were not different significantly (P>0.05). The mean survival time in the TCM group was 13.20+/-1.52 months and that in the chemotherapy group was 13.45+/-1.94 months, showing insignificant difference between them. However, the median survival time in the TCM group (12 months) was actually longer than that in the chemotherapy group (9 months, P<0.05). The mean daily expense and the mean expense (RMB yuan) for each patient in the TCM group were significantly lower than that in the control group, which was 180.73+/-93.21 vs 825.84+/-329.63 for the mean daily expense and 34077.21+/-14638.04 vs 58516.59+/-45429.76 for the mean expense for each patient (both P<0.01). CONCLUSION: Treatment of senile advanced NSCLC with TCM alone has its apparent superiority in stabilizing tumor focus, improving clinical symptoms, elevating quality of life and prolonging the survival time. TCM is also less expensive, making it a good alternative therapeutic approach for this specific group of people.