CircRNA and Ageing.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are closed-loop RNA transcripts formed by a noncanonical back splicing mechanism. circRNAs are expressed in various tissues and cell types in a temporospatially regulated manner and have diverse molecular functions including their ability to act as miRNA sponges, transcriptional and splicing regulators, protein traps, and even templates for polypeptide synthesis. Emerging evidence suggests that circRNAs are themselves dynamically regulated throughout development in various organisms, with a substantial accumulation during ageing. Their regulatory roles in cellular pathways associated with ageing and senescence, as well as their implications in ageing-related diseases, such as neurological disease, cancer, and cardiovascular disease, suggest that circRNAs are key molecular determinants of the ageing process. Their unique structure, expression specificity, and biological functions highlight a potential capacity for use as novel biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment outcomes in a variety of conditions including pathological ageing. CircRNA may also have potential as target for interventions that manipulate ageing and longevity. In this chapter, we discuss the most recent advances in circRNA changes in ageing and ageing-associated disease.

Boosting environmental remediation: harnessing the efficiency of graphitic carbon nitride stabilized on red ocher surface for enhanced photocatalytic remove of Escherichia coli.

In the present study, the antibacterial effect of graphitic carbon nitride coated on the red ocher was investigated by the photocatalytic process to remove Gram-negative Escherichia coli bacteria. The concentration effects (0.025, 0.05, and 0.1 g/mL) of disinfectant, contact time (30, 60, and 90 min), and the number of bacteria (102, 104, and 106 CFU/mL) were examined. In this research, in each experiment, 100 mL of the sample was taken, and the test work was performed. The red ocher required for this project was obtained from Hormoz Island, Hormozgan Province, Iran. Melamine was used for the synthesis and manufacture of graphitic carbon nitride. A general-purpose media was used for microbial culture using the pour and spread plate methods, as well as an LED lamp with a wavelength of 420 nm as a light source for the photocatalytic process. To obtain the important factors, the interaction of the factors and the optimal experimental design were used through the response surface methodology (RSM) based on the Box-Behnken design. According to research findings, this method is effective in eliminating E. coli. The results showed that the increase in the amount of disinfectant from 0.025 to 0.1 g/mL and also the increase of contact time from 30 to 90 min accelerated the removal rate of E. coli. The numerical value of R2 obtained for the removal of E. coli was 0.9728, indicating good agreement between experimental and predicted data. Therefore, its utilization in water disinfection seems necessary, both to ensure human health and environmental protection.

Current approaches for the exploration of antimicrobial activities of nanoparticles.

Infectious diseases of bacterial and viral origins contribute to substantial mortality worldwide. Collaborative efforts have been underway between academia and the industry to develop technologies for a more effective treatment for such diseases. Due to their utility in various industrial applications, nanoparticles (NPs) offer promising potential as antimicrobial agents against bacterial and viral infections. NPs have been established to possess potent antimicrobial activities against various types of pathogens due to their unique characteristics and cell-damaging ability through several mechanisms. The recently accepted antimicrobial mechanisms possessed by NPs include metal ion release, oxidative stress induction, and non-oxidative mechanisms. Another merit of NPs lies in the low likelihood of the development of microbial tolerance towards NPs, given the multiple simultaneous mechanisms of action against the pathogens targeting numerous gene mutations in these pathogens. Moreover, NPs provide a fascinating opportunity to curb microbial growth before infections: this outstanding feature has led to their utilization as active antimicrobial agents in different industrial applications, e.g. the coating of medical devices, incorporation in food packaging, promoting wound healing and encapsulation with other potential materials for wastewater treatment. This review discusses the progress and achievements in the antimicrobial applications of NPs, factors contributing to their actions, mechanisms underlying their efficiency, and risks of their applications, including the antimicrobial action of metal nanoclusters (NCs). The review concludes with a discussion of the restrictions on present studies and future prospects of nanotechnology-based NPs development.

Oxidative Stress Impact on the Transcriptome of Differentiating Neuroblastoma Cells: Implication for Psychiatric Disorders.

Prenatal environmental exposures that have been shown to induce oxidative stress (OS) during pregnancy, such as smoking and alcohol consumption, are risk factors for the onset of schizophrenia and other neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). While the OS role in the etiology of neurodegenerative diseases is well known, its contribution to the genomic dysregulation associated with psychiatric disorders is less well defined. In this study we used the SH-SY5Y cell line and applied RNA-sequencing to explore transcriptomic changes in response to OS before or during neural differentiation. We observed differential expression of many genes, most of which localised to the synapse and were involved in neuronal differentiation. These genes were enriched in schizophrenia-associated signalling pathways, including PI3K/Akt, axon guidance, and signalling by retinoic acid. Interestingly, circulatory system development was affected by both treatments, which is concordant with observations of increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease in patients with NDDs. We also observed a very significant increase in the expression of immunity-related genes, supporting current hypotheses of immune system involvement in psychiatric disorders. While further investigation of this influence in other cell and animal models is warranted, our data suggest that early life exposure to OS has a disruptive influence on neuronal gene expression that may perturb normal differentiation and neurodevelopment, thereby contributing towards overall risk for developing psychiatric diseases.

Simultaneous removal of Congo red and cadmium(II) from aqueous solutions using graphene oxide-silica composite as a multifunctional adsorbent.

Graphene oxide is a very high capacity adsorbent due to its functional groups and π-π interactions with other compounds. Adsorption capacity of graphene oxide, however, can be further enhanced by having synergistic effects through the use of mixed-matrix composite. In this study, silica-decorated graphene oxide (SGO) was used as a high-efficiency adsorbent to remove Congo red (CR) and Cadmium (II) from aqueous solutions. The effects of solution initial concentration (20 to 120 mg/l), solution pH (pH 2 to 7), adsorption duration (0 to 140 min) and temperature (298 to 323 K) were measured in order to optimize the adsorption conditions using the SGO adsorbent. Morphological analysis indicated that the silica nanoparticles could be dispersed uniformly on the graphene oxide surfaces. The maximum capacities of adsorbent for effective removal of Cd (II) and CR were 43.45 and 333.33 mg/g based on Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms, respectively. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms displayed the highest values of Qmax for CR and Cd (II) adsorption in this study, which indicated monolayer adsorption of CR and multilayer adsorption of Cd (II) onto the SGO, respectively. Thermodynamic study showed that the enthalpy (ΔH) and Gibbs free energy(ΔG) values of the adsorption process for both pollutants were negative, suggesting that the process was spontaneous and exothermic in nature. This study showed active sites of SGO (π-π, hydroxyl, carboxyl, ketone, silane-based functional groups) contributed to an enormous enhancement in simultaneous removal of CR and Cd (II) from an aqueous solution, Therefore, SGO can be considered as a promising adsorbent for future water pollution control and removal of hazardous materials from aqueous solutions.

Heat Transfer and Entropy Generation Abilities of MWCNTs/GNPs Hybrid Nanofluids in Microtubes.

Massive improvements in the thermophysical properties of nanofluids over conventional fluids have led to the rapid evolution of using multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) in the field of heat transfer. In this study, the heat transfer and entropy generation abilities of MWCNTs/GNPs hybrid nanofluids were explored. Experiments on forced convective flow through a brass microtube with 300 µm inner diameter and 0.27 m in length were performed under uniform heat flux. MWCNTs/GNPs hybrid nanofluids were developed by adding 0.035 wt.% GNPs to MWCNTs water-based nanofluids with mass fractions of 0.075-0.125 wt.%. The range of the Reynolds number in this experiment was maintained at Re = 200-500. Results showed that the conventional approach for predicting the heat transfer coefficient was applicable for microtubes. The heat transfer coefficient increased markedly with the use of MWCNTs and MWCNTs/GNPs nanofluids, with increased pressure dropping by 12.4%. Results further showed a reduction by 37.5% in the total entropy generation rate in microtubes for hybrid nanofluids. Overall, MWCNTs/GNPs hybrid nanofluids can be used as alternative fluids in cooling systems for thermal applications.

Fabrication of Nanocollagen Using Enhanced Cryogenic Milling Method with Graphene Oxide.

Objective: Collagen, a widely used natural biomaterial polymer in skin tissue engineering, can be innovatively processed into nanocollagen through cryogenic milling to potentially enhance skin tissue healing. Although various methods for fabricating nanocollagen have been documented, there is no existing study on the fabrication of nanocollagen via cryogenic milling, specifically employing graphene oxide as separators to prevent agglomeration. Methods: In this study, three research groups were created using cryogenic milling: pure nanocollagen (Pure NC), nanocollagen with 0.005% graphene oxide (NC + 0.005% GO), and nanocollagen with 0.01% graphene oxide (NC+0.01% GO). Characterization analyses included transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, x-ray diffraction (XRD), zeta potential (ZP), and polydispersity index (PDI). Results: TEM and SEM analysis revealed that nanocollagen groups alone exhibited particle sizes of less than 100 nm. FTIR spectroscopic investigations indicated the presence of amide A, B, and I, II, and III (1800 to 800 cm-1) in all nanocollagen study groups, with the characteristic C-O-C stretching suggesting the incorporation of graphene oxide (GO). XRD data exhibited broadening of the major peak as the proportion of GO increased from pure NC to the nanocollagen groups with GO. Zeta potential measurements indicated electrostatic attraction of the samples to negatively charged surfaces, accompanied by sample instability. PDI results depicted size diameters ranging from 800 to 1800 nm, indicating strong polydispersity with multiple size populations. Conclusion: This research demonstrated that collagen can be successfully fabricated into nanoparticles with sizes smaller than 100 nm.

microRNA and the Post-Transcriptional Response to Oxidative Stress during Neuronal Differentiation: Implications for Neurodevelopmental and Psychiatric Disorders.

Oxidative stress is one of the most important environmental exposures associated with psychiatric disorders, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain to be elucidated. In a previous study, we observed a substantial alteration of the gene expression landscape in neuron-like cells that were differentiated from SH-SY5Y cells after or during exposure to oxidative stress, with a subset of dysregulated genes being enriched for neurodevelopmental processes. To further explore the regulatory mechanisms that might account for such profound perturbations, we have now applied small RNA-sequencing to investigate changes in the expression of miRNAs. These molecules are known to play crucial roles in brain development and response to stress through their capacity to suppress gene expression and influence complex biological networks. Through these analyses, we observed more than a hundred differentially expressed miRNAs, including 80 previously reported to be dysregulated in psychiatric disorders. The seven most influential miRNAs associated with pre-treatment exposure, including miR-138-5p, miR-96-5p, miR-34c-5p, miR-1287-5p, miR-497-5p, miR-195-5p, and miR-16-5p, supported by at least 10 negatively correlated mRNA connections, formed hubs in the interaction network with 134 genes enriched with neurobiological function, whereas in the co-treatment condition, miRNA-mRNA interaction pairs were enriched in cardiovascular and immunity-related disease ontologies. Interestingly, 12 differentially expressed miRNAs originated from the DLK1-DIO3 location, which encodes a schizophrenia-associated miRNA signature. Collectively, our findings suggest that early exposure to oxidative stress, before and during prenatal neuronal differentiation, might increase the risk of mental illnesses in adulthood by disturbing the expression of miRNAs that regulate neurodevelopmentally significant genes and networks.

Applications of drug delivery systems, organic, and inorganic nanomaterials in wound healing.

The skin is known to be the largest organ in the human body, while also being exposed to environmental elements. This indicates that skin is highly susceptible to physical infliction, as well as damage resulting from medical conditions such as obesity and diabetes. The wound management costs in hospitals and clinics are expected to rise globally over the coming years, which provides pressure for more wound healing aids readily available in the market. Recently, nanomaterials have been gaining traction for their potential applications in various fields, including wound healing. Here, we discuss various inorganic nanoparticles such as silver, titanium dioxide, copper oxide, cerium oxide, MXenes, PLGA, PEG, and silica nanoparticles with their respective roles in improving wound healing progression. In addition, organic nanomaterials for wound healing such as collagen, chitosan, curcumin, dendrimers, graphene and its derivative graphene oxide were also further discussed. Various forms of nanoparticle drug delivery systems like nanohydrogels, nanoliposomes, nanofilms, and nanoemulsions were discussed in their function to deliver therapeutic agents to wound sites in a controlled manner.

Sugar molasses as a sustainable precursor for the synthesis of graphene sand composite adsorbent for tetracycline and methylene blue removal.

Sugar molasses from agricultural waste could be a sustainable carbon source for the synthesis of graphene adsorbent introduced in this work. The sugar molasses was successfully converted to graphene-like material and subsequently coated on the sand as graphene sand composite (GSC), as proven by XRD, XPS, Raman spectroscopy, and SEM with EDX mapping analyses. The adsorption performance of GSC was evaluated against the removal of Tetracycline (TC) and methylene blue (MB) pollutants from an aqueous solution in a fixed bed column continuous-flow adsorption setup. The effect of different process conditions: bed height (4-12 cm), influent flow rate (3-7 mL/min), and contaminants' concentration (50-150 ppm) was investigated. The results revealed that column performance was improved by increasing the bed depth and lowering the flow rate and concentration of the pollutants. The best removal efficiency was obtained when the bed height was 12 cm, the influent flow rate of 3 mL/min, and the pollutants' initial concentration was 50 mg/L. Thomas, Adams-Bohart, and Yoon-Nelson models were attempted to fit the breakthrough curves. Regeneration of the GSC indicated the decline of breakthrough time from 240-280 to 180 min, reflecting the decrease in adsorptive sites due to the incomplete regeneration process. Overall, sugar molasses was shown to be a low-cost precursor for synthesizing valuable graphene material in the form of GSC, which can reduce the problem for industrial waste management of sugar molasses, and the GSC could be used as an adsorbent for environmental application.

Synthesis of highly fluorescent carbon quantum dots from rubber seed shells for the adsorption and photocatalytic degradation of dyes.

The potentials of biomass-based carbon quantum dot (CQD) as an adsorbent for batch adsorption of dyes and its photocatalytic degradation capacity for dyes which are congo red (CR) and methylene blue (MB) have been conducted in this study. The CQDs properties, performance, behaviour, and photoluminescence characteristics were assessed using batch adsorption experiments which were carried out under operating conditions including, temperature, pH and dosage. The morphological analysis revealed that CQDs are highly porous, uniform, closely aligned and multi-layered. The presence of hydroxyl, carboxyl and carbonyl functional groups indicated the significance of the oxygenated functional groups. Spectral analysis of photoluminescence for CQDs confirmed their photoluminescent quality by exhibiting high excitation intensity and possessing greenish-blue fluorescence under UV radiation. The removal percentage of the dyes adsorbed for both CR and MB dyes was 77% and 75%. Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order models closely fitted the adsorption results. Thermodynamics analysis indicated that the adsorption process was exothermic and spontaneous, with excellent reusability and stability. The degradation efficiency of CQDs on both dyes was more than 90% under sunlight irradiation and obeyed the first-order kinetic model. These results demonstrated CQDs to be an excellent adsorbent and outstanding photocatalyst for organic dye degradation.

Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Polymerisation of D-Limonene and Its Antimicrobial Activity.

Antibacterial coating is necessary to prevent biofilm-forming bacteria from colonising medical tools causing infection and sepsis in patients. The recent coating strategies such as immobilisation of antimicrobial materials and low-pressure plasma polymerisation may require multiple processing steps involving a high-vacuum system and time-consuming process. Some of those have limited efficacy and durability. Here, we report a rapid and one-step atmospheric pressure plasma polymerisation (APPP) of D-limonene to produce nano-thin films with hydrophobic-like properties for antibacterial applications. The influence of plasma polymerisation time on the thickness, surface characteristic, and chemical composition of the plasma-polymerised films was systematically investigated. Results showed that the nano-thin films deposited at 1 min on glass substrate are optically transparent and homogenous, with a thickness of 44.3 ± 4.8 nm, a smooth surface with an average roughness of 0.23 ± 0.02 nm. For its antimicrobial activity, the biofilm assay evaluation revealed a significant 94% decrease in the number of Escherichia coli (E. coli) compared to the control sample. More importantly, the resultant nano-thin films exhibited a potent bactericidal effect that can distort and rupture the membrane of the treated bacteria. These findings provide important insights into the development of bacteria-resistant and biocompatible coatings on the arbitrary substrate in a straightforward and cost-effective route at atmospheric pressure.

Sustainable synthesis of graphene sand composite from waste cooking oil for dye removal.

Waste cooking oil (WCO) appears to be a potential carbonaceous source for synthesizing graphene sand composite (GSC) adsorbent in removing pollutants. This study presents a green synthesis method of GSC using WCO as a sustainable carbon source for the synthesis of GSC through the thermal graphitization method. Characterization analysis conducted on GSCWCO verified the successful coating of WCO onto the sand surface and conversion to graphene, which possessed distinct functional groups and features of graphene materials. GSCWCO adsorbent effectiveness in removing Congo Red dye through batch adsorption was studied under the influence of different initial concentrations (20 to 100 mg/L), and the optimum pH (pH 2 to 10), contact time (5 to 240 min), and temperature (25 to 45 °C) were investigated. The GSCWCO showed removal rates of 91.5% achieved at an initial dye concentration of 20 mg L-1, 1.0 g of adsorbent dosage, a temperature of 25 °C, and 150 min of contact time. The GSCWCO exhibited a maximum capacity of 5.52 mg g-1, was well-fitted to the Freundlich isotherm model with an R2 value of 0.989 and had an adsorption mechanism that followed the pseudo-second-order kinetic model. Negative values of enthalpy (ΔH) and Gibbs free energy (ΔG) revealed that CR adsorption onto GSCWCO was a spontaneous and exothermic process. The presence of functional groups on the surface of GSCWCO with such interactions (π-π attractive forces, hydrophobic forces, and hydrogen bonding) was responsible for the anionic dye removal. Regeneration of GSCWCO adsorbent declined after four cycles, possibly due to the chemisorption of dyes with GSC that resulted in inefficient adsorption. Being a waste-to-wealth product, GSCWCO possessed great potential to be used for water treatment and simultaneously benefited the environment through the effort to reduce the excessive discharge of WCO.

Decoration of polylactic acid on graphene oxide for efficient adsorption of methylene blue and tetracycline.

Decorating nanomaterials on graphene oxide (GO) can enhance its adsorption capacity and removal efficiency of water pollutants. In this study, for the first time, nano-sized polylactic acid (PLA) has been successfully decorated on the surface of GO through a facile synthesis approach. The adsorptive efficiency of GO-PLA for removing methylene blue (MB) and tetracycline (TC) from an aqueous solution was examined. The characterization confirmed the successful decoration of PLA on GO nanosheets with the nano size of PLA. It was hypothesized that the PLA was decorated on the surface of GO through covalent bonding between oxygen-containing functional groups and lactide molecules. The optimum adsorption parameters determined were at the adsorbent dose of 0.5 g L-1, pH 4, contact time of 120 min, and temperature of 318 K. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model described the contaminants' adsorption behaviour, and the intraparticle diffusion model revealed that both surface adsorption and intraparticle diffusion controlled the adsorption process. Langmuir isotherm model best described the adsorption behaviour of the pollutants on GO-PLA and demonstrated the maximum monolayer uptake capacities of MB (332.5 mg g-1) and TC (223.7 mg g-1). The adsorption results indicated that the uptake capacities of GO-PLA in comparison to GO have increased by approximately 70% and 110% for MB and TC, respectively. These observations reflect the remarkable role of nano-sized PLA that enhanced the adsorption capacity due to its additional functional group and larger surface area.

Impact of Silver-Decorated Graphene Oxide (Ag-GO) towards Improving the Characteristics of Nanohybrid Polysulfone Membranes.

The utilization of membranes has been extensively employed in the treatment of water and wastewater. Membrane fouling, attributed to the hydrophobic nature of membranes, constitutes a noteworthy concern in the realm of membrane separation. The mitigation of fouling can be achieved through the modification of membrane characteristics, including but not limited to hydrophilicity, morphology, and selectivity. In this study, a nanohybrid polysulfone (PSf) membrane embedded with silver-graphene oxide (Ag-GO) was fabricated to overcome problems related to biofouling. The embedment of Ag-GO nanoparticles (NPs) is the aim towards producing membranes with antimicrobial properties. The fabricated membranes at different compositions of NPs (0 wt%, 0.3 wt%, 0.5 wt%, and 0.8 wt%) are denoted as M0, M1, M2, and M3, respectively. These PSf/Ag-GO membranes were characterized using FTIR, water contact angle (WCA) goniometer, FESEM, and salt rejection. The additions of GO significantly improved the hydrophilicity of PSf membranes. An additional OH peak at 3380.84 cm-1 of the nanohybrid membrane from FTIR spectra may be related to hydroxyl (-OH) groups of GO. The WCA of the fabricated membranes decreased from 69.92° to 54.71°, which confirmed the improvement in its hydrophilicity. In comparison to the pure PSf membrane, the morphology of the finger-like structure of the fabricated nanohybrid membrane slightly bent with a larger bottom part. Among the fabricated membranes, M2 achieved the highest iron (Fe) removal, up to 93%. This finding proved that the addition of 0.5 wt% Ag-GO NPs enhanced the membrane water permeability together with its performance of ionic solute removal (Fe2+) from synthetic groundwater. In conclusion, embedding a small amount of Ag-GO NPs successfully improved the hydrophilicity of PSf membranes and was able to achieve high removal of Fe at 10-100 mg L-1 towards purification of groundwater for safe drinking water.

The effect of online cognitive behavioral therapy on depressive symptoms in recovered patients with COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 virus is on the rise globally, and people with the disease experience a variety of physical and mental problems. According to studies, depression can be a complication of the virus. So far, limited measures have been taken to prevent and treat emotional-psychological complications of COVID-19. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of online cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) on depressive symptoms in recovered patients with COVID-19. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted in a quasi-experimental design. A sample of 150 recovered patients with COVID-19 who referred to Imam Reza Hospital in Tabriz city, were selected by random sampling method. The patients' emotional-psychological status was assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory, and they entered the treatment process according to the inclusion criteria. As a therapeutic intervention, a scientific and valid approach called CBT was implemented, which two occupational therapists performed in eight treatment sessions in the context of a social communication application. Paired sample t-test was used to analyze the time sequence of quantitative data due to its normality. RESULTS: After the last session of the intervention, the effect of this therapeutic approach on reducing the depressive symptoms of patients was evaluated. According to the findings, the Beck score of the participants decreased significantly after the intervention (MD = -45/9, P < 0/001). CONCLUSION: Therefore, in order to promote the recovery of patients with COVID-19 and help health authorities to develop preventive measures and effective treatment of emotional-psychological problems caused by this virus, it is recommended to use the online CBT approach.

Rejection Mechanism of Ionic Solute Removal by Nanofiltration Membranes: An Overview.

The toxicity of heavy metals can cause water pollution and has harmful effects on human health and the environment. Various methods are used to overcome this pressing issue and each method has its own advantages and disadvantages. Membrane filtration technology such as nanofiltration (NF) produces high quality water and has a very small footprint, which results in lower energy usage. Nanofiltration is a membrane-based separation technique based on the reverse osmosis separation process developed in the 1980s. NF membranes have a pore size of 1 nm and molecular weight cut off (MWCO) of 300 to 500 Da. The properties of NF membranes are unique since the surface charge of the membranes is dependent on the functional groups of the membrane. The rejection mechanism of NF membrane is unique as it is a combination of various rejection mechanisms such as steric hindrance, electric exclusion, dielectric effect, and hydration mechanism. However, these mechanisms have not been studied in-depth due to their complexity. There are also many factors contributing to the rejection of NF membrane. Many junior researchers would face difficulty in studying NF membrane. Therefore, this paper is designed for researchers new to the field, and will briefly review the rejection mechanisms of NF membrane by both sieving and non-sieving separation processes. This mini-review aims to provide new researchers with a general understanding of the concept of the separation process of charged membranes.

An Overview of the Modification Strategies in Developing Antifouling Nanofiltration Membranes.

Freshwater deficiency has become a significant issue affecting many nations' social and economic development because of the fast-growing demand for water resources. Nanofiltration (NF) is one of the promising technologies for water reclamation application, particularly in desalination, water, and wastewater treatment fields. Nevertheless, membrane fouling remains a significant concern since it can reduce the NF membrane performance and increase operating expenses. Consequently, numerous studies have focused on improving the NF membrane's resistance to fouling. This review highlights the recent progress in NF modification strategies using three types of antifouling modifiers, i.e., nanoparticles, polymers, and composite polymer/nanoparticles. The correlation between antifouling performance and membrane properties such as hydrophilicity, surface chemistry, surface charge, and morphology are discussed. The challenges and perspectives regarding antifouling modifiers and modification strategies conclude this review.

Dysregulation of circRNA expression in the peripheral blood of individuals with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are head-to-tail back-spliced RNA transcripts that have been linked to several biological processes and their perturbation is evident in human disease, including neurological disorders. There is also emerging research suggesting circRNA expression may also be altered in psychiatric and behavioural syndromes. Here, we provide a comprehensive analysis of circRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from 39 patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder as well as 20 healthy individuals using deep RNA-seq. We observed systematic alternative splicing leading to a complex and diverse profile of RNA transcripts including 8762 high confidence circRNAs. More specific scrutiny of the circular transcriptome in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, compared to a non-psychiatric control group, revealed significant dysregulation of 55 circRNAs with a bias towards downregulation. These molecules were predicted to interact with a large number of miRNAs that target genes enriched in psychiatric disorders. Further replication and cross-validation to determine the specificity of these circRNAs across broader diagnostic groups and subgroups in psychiatry will enable their potential utility as biomarkers to be established. KEY MESSAGES: • We identified 8762 high confidence circRNAs with systematic alternative splicing in human PBMCs. • CircRNAs were dysregulated in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, compared to a non-psychiatric control group. • The DE circRNAs were predicted to interact with miRNAs with target genes enriched in psychiatric disorders. • Some circRNAs have the potential to serve as biomarkers in psychiatry.

The removal of anionic and cationic dyes from an aqueous solution using biomass-based activated carbon.

In this study, two biomass-based adsorbents were used as new precursors for optimizing synthesis conditions of a cost-effective powdered activated carbon (PAC). The PAC removed dyes from an aqueous solution using carbonization and activation by KOH, NaOH, and H2SO4. The optimum synthesis, activation temperature, time and impregnation ratio, removal rate, and uptake capacity were determined. The optimum PAC was analyzed and characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), x-ray diffraction (XRD), a field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), Zeta potential, and Raman spectroscopy. Morphological studies showed single-layered planes with highly porous surfaces, especially PAC activated by NaOH and H2SO4. The results showed that the experimental data were well-fitted with a pseudo-second-order model. Based on Langmuir isotherm, the maximum adsorption capacity for removing methylene blue (MB) was 769.23 mg g-1 and 458.43 mg g-1 for congo red (CR). Based on the isotherm models, more than one mechanism was involved in the adsorption process, monolayer for the anionic dye and multilayer for the cationic dye. Elovich and intraparticle diffusion kinetic models showed that rubber seed shells (RSS) has higher α values with a greater tendency to adsorb dyes compared to rubber seed (RS). A thermodynamic study showed that both dyes' adsorption process was spontaneous and exothermic due to the negative values of the enthalpy (ΔH) and Gibbs free energy (ΔG). The change in removal efficiency of adsorbent for regeneration study was observed in the seventh cycles, with a 3% decline in the CR and 2% decline in MB removal performance. This study showed that the presence of functional groups and active sites on the produced adsorbent (hydroxyl, alkoxy, carboxyl, and π - π) contributed to its considerable affinity for adsorption in dye removal. Therefore, the optimum PAC can serve as efficient and cost-effective adsorbents to remove dyes from industrial wastewater.