Coagulation-centered three-step approach for removing by-product organic pollutants from tetrabromobisphenol A industrial wastewater: Experimental and theoretic investigations.

The challenge of meeting discharge standards for tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) production wastewater, characterized by high concentrations of organic by-products, necessitates effective treatment methods. This study identifies 2,4-dibromophenol, 2,6-dibromophenol, 2,4,6-tribromophenol, chlorobenzene, and toluene as the primary organic by-product pollutants. A coagulation-centered three-step approach was established for TBBPA industrial wastewater treatment. The initial step involves acidification treatment to exploit the reduced solubility of 2,4-dibromophenol, 2,6-dibromophenol, and 2,4,6-tribromophenol under acidic conditions, with the optimal pH determined as 2.7-3.1. An acid-activated montmorillonite coagulant (AMC), prepared through roasting and high-pressure acid leaching, exhibits a distinctive "Core-shell" structure, contributing significantly to the combined coagulation and adsorption mechanism. The acid-soluble aluminum salts in AMC form positively charged flocs, electrostatically attracting negatively charged organic compounds in the wastewater. Simultaneously, the porous insoluble silicon framework displays strong adsorption capacity for pollutants. The removal efficiencies for toluene, chlorobenzene, 2,4-dibromophenol, 2,6-dibromophenol, and 2,4,6-tribromophenol reached 88.2%, 89.1%, 88.8%, 87.1%, and 89.4%, respectively. Elemental analysis reveals that the coloration of the wastewater stems from complexation reactions between phenolic compounds and Fe3+, originating from the corrosion of iron or steel reaction vessel. Post-treatment with cation exchange resin resulted in removal efficiencies of 5.2%, 59.1%, 80.2%, 77.9%, and 88.3% for the five substances, respectively. This study outlines a crucial pathway for the effective purification of TBBPA wastewater.

[Micropump infusion of gonadorelin in the treatment of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism in patients with pituitary stalk interruption syndrome: cases analysis and literature review].

Two cases of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism caused by pituitary stalk interruption syndrome treated by pulse infusion of gonadorelin via micropump were reported, and their clinical features and the treatment process of pulse infusion of gonadorelin via micropump summarized. Both of the 2 patients were presented primarily with hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. After the treatment with pulse infusion of gonadorelin via micropump, their syndrome of androgen deficiency improved and the gonadotropin levels promoted at the end of 12 weeks' follow-up. Pulse infusion of gonadorelin via micropump is an alternative to treat hypogonadotropic hypogonadism caused by pituitary stalk interruption syndrome.

Protein expression information of prostate infection based on data mining.

In order to deeply explore the interaction between prostate cancer (PCa)-related proteins and to screen out effective targets for clinical practice, data mining of PCa proteomics literature is conducted, 41 differentially expressed seed proteins are identified, and a protein interaction network is constructed. The extended network consists of a mega network and three separate small parts, which are used to find key nodes and build a backbone network through connectivity screening. Topological analysis of these networks reveals that solute carrier family 2 (glucose transporter) member 4 (SLC2A4) and tubulin ß-2C (TUBB2C) are centrally located in the protein interaction network. In addition, by using the module analysis, the dense connection area is found. Functional annotations indicate that the biological processes of Ras protein signaling, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and neurotrophin and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) signaling pathways play important roles in the pathogenesis of PCa. Therefore, further studies of SLC2A4 and TUBB2C proteins, and these biological processes and pathways may provide potential targets for the diagnosis and treatment of PCa.

Epigenetic silencing of miR-137 induces resistance to bicalutamide by targeting TRIM24 in prostate cancer cells.

Prostate cancer is an important hormone-dependent cancer affecting men. In the initial stages, prostate cancer is often treated using hormone therapy, including bicalutamide. Despite the initial effectiveness of this therapy, the tumor eventually acquires resistance, resulting in recurrence of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Dysregulation of microRNA (miRNA) function is one of the putative underlying mechanisms of hormone therapy resistance. Reports have shown that miRNAs act as tumor suppressors in patients with prostate cancer, but the role of these molecules in bicalutamide resistance in prostate cancer cell lines remains unclear. We performed lentiviral miRNA library screening to identify novel miRNAs that modulate the response of human prostate cancer LNCaP cells to the antiandrogen bicalutamide. We found that the tumor suppressor miRNA miR-137 silenced signaling in a spectrum of human cancers and selectively targeted tripartite motif-containing 24 (TRIM24) to suppress tumor proliferation. Silencing of TRIM24 recapitulated the effect of miR-137 on cell proliferation, whereas overexpression of TRIM24 reversed this effect. Real-time reverse transcription PCR analysis revealed a reciprocal relationship between miR-137 and TRIM24 in prostate cancer cell lines and tissues. Mechanistic studies indicated that methyl CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2) and DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) cooperate to promote methylation of the miR-137 promoter and the consequent decreased transcription, leading to enhanced TRIM24 expression and glutamine metabolism. These findings describe a novel mechanism that affects TRIM24 deregulation in human cancers and provide a molecular link between miR-137, TRIM24, and tumor proliferation in CRPC.

[Radionuclide scrotal imaging: an effective method for detecting varicocele].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate radionuclide scrotal imaging (RSI) in the diagnosis of varicocele. METHODS: We performed physical examination (PE) and RSI for 126 patients with infertility for at least 12 months and seminal abnormality, obtained the scrotal blood-pool index (SBPI), observed the reflux in the spermatic vein during RSI, typed and graded varicocele by color Doppler flow imaging (CDFI) and compared the results of PE and RSI with those of CDFI. RESULTS: The rates of sensitivity and specificity of RSI in the diagnosis of varicocele (96.5% and 97.1%) were both higher than those of PE (71.7% and 69.1%). CONCLUSION: Simple, accurate and noninvasive, RSI is an effective method for the diagnosis of clinical and subclinical varicocele.