The comprehensive incidence and risk factors of fracture in kidney transplant recipients: A meta-analysis.

AIM: Kidney transplant recipients are at high risk of fracture due to many factors such as nutritional status, hyperparathyroidism, acidosis and steroid administration. The current meta-analysis aimed to comprehensively analyse the incidence and risk factors of fracture in kidney transplant recipients. METHODS: A systematic search on Embase, Web of Science, PubMed and Cochrane Library until November 2023 was performed. RStudio software was used to analyse data. RESULTS: Twenty-eight eligible studies containing 310 530 kidney transplant recipients were included in the analysis. The pooled incidence of fracture was 10% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 7%-13%) generally. When divided by regions, it was further observed that the pooled incidence of fracture was 13% (95% CI: 9%-17%) in Europe, 11% (95% CI: 6%-16%) in North America, 7% (95% CI: 3%-11%) in Asia. Regarding the risk factors, pooled analysis revealed that age of recipient (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.50, 95% CI: 1.17-1.91), female sex (HR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.36-1.53), pretransplantation diabetes (HR = 1.76, 95% CI: 1.58-1.97), pretransplantation fracture history (HR = 2.28, 95% CI: 1.86-2.78), dialysis duration (HR = 1.09, 95% CI: 1.01-1.17) and deceased donor (HR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.05-1.39) related to higher risk of fracture. The general quality of included studies was acceptable, and no publication bias existed except for the analysis between age of recipient and fracture incidence; further trim and fill method indicated age of recipient showed a correlation trend with the fracture incidence without the statistical significance. CONCLUSION: The pooled incidence of fracture reaches 10% in kidney transplant recipients, which relates to age of recipient, female sex, pretransplantation diabetes or fracture history, dialysis duration and decease donor.

Combination of solid acid and solvent pretreatment for co-production of furfural, xylooligosaccharide and reducing sugars from Phyllostachys edulis.

The efficient utilization of biomass resources has gained widespread attention in current research. This study focused on the conversion of hemicellulose into xylo-oligosaccharides and furfural, as well as enhanced cellulose saccharification and lignin removal from residual biomass. The solid acid catalyst AT-Sn-MMT was prepared by sulfonation and tin ion loading of montmorillonite K-10. In a mixture of deep eutectic solvent and γ-valerolactone (3:7, v/v), AT-Sn-MMT was used to catalyze Phyllostachys edulis (PE) at 160 °C for 20 min, obtaining a furfural yield of 85.7 % and 1.5 g/L xylo-oligosaccharides. The delignification of pretreated PE was 59.5 %, reaching an accessibility of 221.3 g dye/g material. While the enzymatic saccharification efficiency was increased to 73.1 %. This work drew on the merits of solid acid catalysts and mixed solvent systems, and this constructed pretreatment method could be efficiently applied for co-production of reducing sugars, xylooligosaccharide and furfural, realizing the efficient valorization of PE.

Efficient co-production of xylooligosaccharides, furfural and reducing sugars from yellow bamboo via the pretreatment with biochar-based catalyst.

The research on the efficient use of biomass to produce chemical products has received extensive attention. In this work, a novel heterogeneous biocarbon-based heterogeneous catalyst AT-Sn-YB was prepared using yellow bamboo (YB) as a carrier, and its physical properties were proved to be good by various characterization and stability experiments. In the γ-valerolactone/water (3:1, v/v) medium containing 100 mM CuCl2, the use of AT-Sn-YB (3.6 wt%) under 170 °C for 20 min was applied to catalyze YB into furfural (80.3% yield), accompanied with 2.8 g/L xylooligosaccharides. The YB solid residue obtained from treatment was efficiently saccharified to reducing sugars (17.2 g/L). Accordingly, comprehensive understanding of efficiently co-producing xylooligosaccharides, furfural and reducing sugars from YB was demonstrated via the pretreatment with biochar-based catalyst. This study innovatively used a new type of solid acid to complete the efficient co-production of chemical products, and realized the value-added utilization of yellow bamboo.

Enhancing enzymatic hydrolysis of waste sunflower straw by clean hydrothermal pretreatment.

Hydrothermal pretreatment is an effective way to change the lignocellulose structure and improve its saccharification. An efficient hydrothermal pretreatment of sunflower straw was conducted when the severity factor (LogR0) was 4.1. 58.8% of xylan and 33.5% of lignin were removed at 180 °C for 120 min with a solid-to-liquid ratio of 1:15. A series of characterizations (such as X-ray diffraction, Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, chemical component analysis, cellulase accessibility) proved that hydrothermal pretreatment destroyed sunflower straw surface structure, enlarged its pores, and enhanced the accessibility to cellulase (371.2 mg/g). After the enzymatic saccharification of treated sunflower straw for 72 h, 68.0% yield of reducing sugar and 61.8% yield of glucose were achieved, and 3.2 g/L xylo-oligosaccharide was obtained in the filtrate. Overall, this easy-to-operate and green hydrothermal pretreatment could effectively destroy the surface barrier of lignocellulose, help remove lignin and xylan, and increase the enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency.

Significantly enhanced enzymatic hydrolysis of waste rice hull through a novel surfactant-based deep eutectic solvent pretreatment.

The potential of green solvents, specifically deep eutectic solvents (DESs), has piqued the interest of researchers in the field of lignocellulose pretreatment. To enhance the enzymatic digestion efficiency of waste rice hull (RCH), an effective pretreatment approach was developed using the DES [AA][CATB], which was made with acetic acid (AA) and cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). The results showed that [AA][CATB] improved enzymatic saccharification by 3.7 times compared to raw RCH and efficiently eliminated lignin and removed xylan. The improvement in enzymatic hydrolysis efficiency was then interpreted by a series of characterizations that showed a great morphological changed RCH with an obvious accessibility increase and a lignin surface area and hydrophobicity reduction. This work demonstrates that functional, and easily recoverable DESs have potential for improving the efficiency of lignocellulose pretreatment in biorefineries, providing a promising approach for developing green solvents and achieving more sustainable and efficient biorefinery processes.

Review of research on migration, distribution, biological effects, and analytical methods of microfibers in the environment.

Microplastics have been proven to be one of the critical environmental pollution issues. Moreover, microfibers, the most prominent form of microplastics in the environment, have likewise attracted the attention of various countries. With the increase in global population and industrialization, the production and use of fibers continue to increase yearly. As a result, a large number of microfibers are formed. If fiber products are not used or handled correctly, it will cause direct/indirect severe microfiber environmental pollution. Microfibers will be further broken into smaller fiber fragments when they enter the natural environment. Presently, researchers have conducted extensive research in the identification of microfibers, laying the foundation for further resourcefulness research. This work used bibliometric analysis to review the microfiber contamination researches systematically. First, the primary sources of microfibers and the influencing factors are analyzed. We aim to summarize the influence of the clothing fiber preparation and care processes on microfiber formation. Then, this work elaborated on the migration in/between water, atmosphere, and terrestrial environments. We also discussed the effects of microfiber on ecosystems. Finally, microfibers' current and foreseeable effective treatment, disposal, and resource utilization methods were explained. This paper will provide a structured reference for future microfiber research.

The copper(II) complex of dantron showed therapeutic effect on bacterial gill-rot disease in tilapia infected by Flavobacterium columnar.

Dantron (DA), a kind of polyhydric anthraquinone and one of the bio-active ingredient in Rheum officinale was chosen as the ligand to coordinate with the bio-active copper(II) ion to achieve its antibacterial copper(II) complex, DA-Cu. The coordination structure of DA-Cu, both in the crystal state and solution state, was studied by spectroscopy and X-ray single-crystal diffraction analysis. The inhibition zone, MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) and MBC (minimum bactericidal concentration) values regarding the in vitro antibacterial activity of DA-Cu towards Flavobacterium columnar, which causes the bacterial gill-rot disease on fish, were significant and specific. DA-Cu in vivo acute toxicity on zebrafish and tilapia was evaluated, suggesting that the higher dose of DA-Cu than 0.1 mg/mL might give potential toxicity. The further therapeutic effect of DA-Cu on the tested tilapia challenged by Flavobacterium columnar was also studied, which showed its clear advantage (including the survival rate, relative weight gain rate, and feed conversion ratio) over DA and the positive control, Sanhuang San, at a much lower dosage of 0.025 mg/mL.

A New Calcium(II)-Based Substitute for Enrofloxacin with Improved Medicinal Potential.

Enrofloxacin (EFX) reacting with Ca(II) afforded a new complex, [Ca(EFX)2(H2O)4] (EFX-Ca), which was structurally characterized both in solid and solution chemistry. E. coli and S. typhi were tested to be the most sensitive strains for EFX-Ca. The LD50 value of EFX-Ca in mice was 7736 mg/kg, implying the coordination of EFX to Ca(II) effectively reduced its acute toxicity. EFX-Ca also decreased the plasma-binding rate and enhanced the drug distribution in rats along with longer elimination half-life. EFX-Ca also showed similar low in vivo acute toxicity and higher anti-inflammation induced by H2O2 or CuSO4 in zebrafish, with reactive oxygen species (ROS)-related elimination. The therapeutic effects of EFX-Ca on two types (AA and 817) of E. coli-infected broilers were also better than those of EFX, with cure rates of 78% and 88%, respectively. EFX-Ca showed promise as a bio-safe metal-based veterinary drug with good efficacy and lower toxicity.

A new calcium(II) complex of marbofloxacin showing much lower acute toxicity with retained antibacterial activity.

Marbofloxacin (MB) is a newly developed veterinary drug with broad-spectrum antibacterial activity. In this study, a new calcium(II)-based complex of marbofloxacin, MB-Ca, was synthesized and structurally characterized by IR, ESI-MS, UV-Vis and single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The characterization of this complex in solution state indicated that the coordinated MB-Ca was partly retained, along with the monomeric and dimeric forms of MB. It also showed satisfactory water solubility (1.89 mg/mL), comparing with MB (2.82 mg/mL) at 35 °C. The in vitro antibacterial activity of MB-Ca was also screened towards a series of typical pathogenic bacteria, and determined by the methods of turbidimetry and disc diffusion. The results indicated it showed comparable antibacterial activity to MB. However, it exhibited higher inhibitive ability in vitro on DNA gyrase than MB alone. Furthermore, MB-Ca showed significantly lower acute toxicity (LD50, 3186 mg/kg) than MB (LD50, 1294 mg/kg) in mice, based on the in vivo acute toxicity test. The histopathological examination on the major organs of the mice by the oral administration of MB-Ca did not show obvious organic lesions, which is similar to those treated by MB. The research results suggest that MB-Ca could be further developed into a new promising metal-based veterinary drug and a better substitute of MB, showing unabated antibacterial activity along with lower toxicity.

A Shake&Read distance-based microfluidic chip as a portable quantitative readout device for highly sensitive point-of-care testing.

Despite the rapid development of point-of-care testing (POCT) devices in recent years, quantitative POCT is still not readily available. Herein, we developed a simple, disposable and equipment-free quantitative POCT platform, the Shake&Read distance-based microfluidic Chip (S&R-µChip), for visual quantitative POCT and demonstrated its use in Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) for the detection of disease biomarkers.