Hollow S-Doped ZnFe2O4 Microcubes with Magnetic Separability for Photocatalytic Removal of Uranium(VI) under Different Light Intensity.

Under xenon lamps, ZnFe2O4 (ZFO) has been shown to be effective in removing uranium through photocatalysis. However, its performance is still inadequate in low-light environments due to low photon utilization and high electron-hole complexation. Herein, S-doped hollow ZnFe2O4 microcubes (Sx-H-ZFO, x = 1, 3, 6, 9) were synthesized using the MOF precursor template method. The hollow morphology improves the utilization of visible light by refracting and reflecting the incident light multiple times within the confined domain. S doping narrows the band gap and shifts the conduction band position negatively, which enhances the separation, migration, and accumulation of photogenerated charges. Additionally, S doping increases the number of adsorption sites, ultimately promoting efficient surface reactions. Consequently, Sx-H-ZFO is capable of removing U(VI) in low-light environments. Under cloudy and rainy weather conditions, the photocatalytic rate of S3-H-ZFO was 100.31 µmol/(g·h), while under LED lamps (5000 Lux) it was 72.70 µmol/(g·h). More interestingly, a systematic mechanistic investigation has revealed that S doping replaces some of the oxygen atoms to enhance electron transfers and adsorption of O2. This process initiates the formation of hydrogen peroxide, which reacts directly with UO22+ to form solid studtite (UO2)O2·2H2O. Additionally, the promising magnetic separation capability of Sx-H-ZFO facilitates the recycling and reusability of the material. This work demonstrates the potential of ZnFe2O4 extraction uranium from nuclear wastewater.

Dipole Moment and Built-In Polarization Electric Field Induced by Oxygen Vacancies in BiOX for Boosting Piezoelectric-Photocatalytic Removal of Uranium(VI).

Piezoelectric-photocatalysis is distinguished by its piezoelectricity as an external force that induces deformation within the catalyst to engender a polarized electric field compared to conventional photocatalysis. Herein, the piezoelectric photocatalyst BiOBr has been expertly synthesized via a plasma process and applied for piezoelectric-photocatalysis removal of uranium(VI) for the first time. The abundant surface oxygen vacancies (OVs) could induce a dipole moment and built-in electric field, which endows BiOBr with excellent separation and transport efficiency of photogenerated charges to actuate more charges to participate in the piezoelectric-photocatalytic reduction process. Consequently, under visible light and ultrasound (150 W and 40 kHz), the removal rate constant of OVs-BiOBr-30 (0.0306 min-1) was 2.4, 30.6, and 6 times higher than those of BiOBr (0.01273 min-1), ultrasound, or photocatalysis, respectively. The piezoelectric-photocatalytic synergy is also universal for BiOX (X = Cl, Br, or I) to accelerate the reduction rate of uranium(VI). This work highlights the role of piezoelectric-photocatalysis in the treatment of uranium-containing wastewater, which is of great significance for resource conservation and environmental remediation.

Biomimetic Photocatalytic System Designed by Spatially Separated Cocatalysts on Z-scheme Heterojunction with Identified Charge-transfer Processes for Boosting Removal of U(VI).

Designing highly efficient photocatalysts with rapid migration of photogenerated charges and surface reaction kinetics for the photocatalytic removal of uranium (U(VI)) from uranium mine wastewater remains a significant challenge. Inspired by natural photosynthesis, a biomimetic photocatalytic system is assembled by designing a novel hollow nanosphere MnOx @TiO2 @CdS@Au (MTCA) with loading MnOx and Au nano particles (Au NPs) cocatalysts on the inner and outer surfaces of the TiO2 @CdS. The spatially separated cocatalysts efficiently drive the photogenerated charges to migrate in opposite directions, while the Z-scheme heterogeneous shell further separates the interfacial charges. Theoretical calculation identifies multiple consecutive forward charge transfers without charge recombination within MTCA. Thus, MTCA could efficiently remove 99.61% of U(VI) after 15 min of simulated sunlight irradiation within 3 mmol L-1 NaHCO3 with 0.231 min-1 of the reduction rate constant, outperforming most previously reported photocatalysts. MTCA further significantly removes 91.83% of U(VI) from the natural uranium mining wastewater under sunlight irradiation. This study provides a novel approach to designing an ideal biomimetic photocatalyst for remediating environmental pollution.

CYP3A5 Genotype-Dependent Drug-Drug Interaction Between Tacrolimus and Voriconazole in Chinese Kidney Transplant Patients.

BACKGROUND: The effect of drug-drug interaction (DDI) between tacrolimus and voriconazole on the pharmacokinetics of tacrolimus in different CYP3A5 genotypes has not been reported in previous studies. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate whether CYP3A5 genotype could influence tacrolimus-voriconazole DDI in Chinese kidney transplant patients. METHODS: All kidney transplant patients were divided into combination and non-combination groups based on whether tacrolimus was combined with or without voriconazole. Each group was subdivided into CYP3A5 expresser (CYP3A5*1/*1 or CYP3A5*1/*3) and CYP3A5 nonexpresser (CYP3A5*3/*3). A retrospective analysis compared tacrolimus dose (D)-corrected trough concentrations (C0) (C0/D) between combination and non-combination groups, respectively. Tacrolimus C0/D was also compared between CYP3A5 expresser and nonexpresser in both groups. RESULTS: The C0/D values of tacrolimus were significantly different between CYP3A5 expresser and nonexpresser in combination group (378.20 [219.38, 633.48] ng/mL/[mg/kg/d] vs 720.00 [595.35, 1681.50] ng/mL/[mg/kg/d], P = 0.0010). Either in CYP3A5 expresser or nonexpresser, we found a statistically significant difference in tacrolimus C0/D between combination and non-combination group (P < 0.0001). The increase in CYP3A5 nonexpresser was 1.38 times higher than that in CYP3A5 expresser (320.93% vs 232.19%). CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: The median C0/D values were 90.38% higher in kidney transplant recipients with CYP3A5*3/*3 genotype than in those with CYP3A5*1/*1 or CYP3A5*1/*3 genotype when treated with both tacrolimus and voriconazole. A CYP3A5 genotype-dependent DDI was found between tacrolimus and voriconazole. Therefore, personalized therapy accounting for CYP3A5 genotype detection and therapeutic drug monitoring is necessary for kidney transplant patients when treating with tacrolimus and voriconazole.

One case report and literature review of arrhythmia caused by pituitrin.

Arrhythmias are perceived as a complication of pituitrin. However, injecting a standard dose of pituitrin via vein causes different arrhythmias. In our case, a 35-year-old female patient was admitted to the hospital due to a productive cough with sputum for 5 days and two occasions of massive hemoptysis. After 1 day of treatment using 500 ml normal saline with 10u pituitrin, the sputum was filled with small amounts of kermesinus bloodstains. When pituitrin was stopped without any other treatment, all presenting symptoms gradually subsided after half an hour, and the ECG returned to normal. Therefore, when treating massive hemoptysis by administering pituitrin intravenously, it is necessary to exercise great precaution and therapeutic measures.

First-year nursing students' initial contact with the clinical learning environment: impacts on their empathy levels and perceptions of professional identity.

BACKGROUND: Research shows that the clinical learning environment can affect medical learners' levels of empathy and formation of professional identity. However, few studies examined the impacts of early exposure to the clinical learning environment on first-year nursing students' empathy levels and professional identity perceptions. AIM: This study aimed to explore effects of initial contact with the clinical learning environment on first-year nursing students' empathy levels and perceptions of professional identity. METHODS: This is a mixed-methods study conducted in a medical university and its affiliated hospital in Northeast China. For quantitative analysis, 220 first-year nursing students finished Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) twice before and after their five-day clinical placement in the hospital in June, 2021. Paired samples t tests were used to explore the changes in first-year nursing students' cognitive empathy, affective empathy and total empathy levels as measured by IRI before and after the clinical placement. For qualitative analysis, 15 first-year nursing students' diary recording their clinical learning experiences were analyzed. An inductive thematic analysis approach was adopted to extract themes from the content on professional identity in nursing students' diary. RESULTS: After the five-day clinical placement, first-year nursing students' cognitive empathy, affective empathy and total empathy levels all increased. Five themes emerged regarding nursing students' perceptions of professional identity: (1) Love for the nursing profession; (2) Multiple roles nurses play; (3) Personal characteristics a good nurse needs to have; (4) Deeper understanding of the nursing profession; (5) New understanding of the relationships between patients and nurses, between patients and doctors, and between doctors and nurses. CONCLUSIONS: First-year nursing students' initial contact with the clinical learning environment helped them enhance empathy levels and shape professional identity. Nursing educators may consider providing nursing students with opportunities of early exposure to the clinical learning setting to cultivate their empathy and develop their professional identity.

MAPK pathway-related tyrosine phosphatases regulate development, secondary metabolism and pathogenicity in fungus Aspergillus flavus.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades are highly conserved in eukaryotic cells and are known to play crucial roles in the regulation of various cellular processes. However, compared with kinase-mediated phosphorylation, dephosphorylation catalysed by phosphatases has not been well characterized in filamentous fungi. In this study, we identified five MAPK pathway-related phosphatases (Msg5, Yvh1, Ptp1, Ptp2 and Oca2) and characterized their functions in Aspergillus flavus, which produces aflatoxin B1 (AFB1 ), one of the most toxic and carcinogenic secondary metabolites. These five phosphatases were identified as negative regulators of MAPK (Slt2, Fus3 and Hog1) pathways. Deletion of Msg5 and Yvh1 resulted in significant defects in conidiation, sclerotia formation, aflatoxin production and crop infection. Additionally, double knockout mutants (ΔMsg5/ΔPtp1, ΔMsg5/ΔPtp2 and ΔMsg5/ΔOca2) displayed similar defects to those observed in the ΔMsg5 single mutant, indicating that Msg5 plays a major role in the regulation of development and pathogenicity in A. flavus. Importantly, we found that the active site at C439 is essential for the function of the Msg5 phosphatase. Furthermore, the MAP kinase Fus3 was found to be involved in the regulation of development, aflatoxin biosynthesis and pathogenicity, and its conserved phosphorylation residues (Thr and Tyr) were critical for the full range of its functions in A. flavus. Overall, our results reveal that MAPK related tyrosine phosphatases play important roles in the regulation of development, secondary metabolism and pathogenicity in A. flavus, and could be developed as potential targets for preventing damage caused by this fungal pathogen.

Changes in Serum Amyloid A (SAA) and 8-OHdG in Patients with Senile Early Cognitive Impairment.

BACKGROUND This study assessed variations in SAA and 8-OHdG in patients with senile early cognitive impairment (CI). MATERIAL AND METHODS The subjects were divided into 3 groups: 121 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), 131 with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and 100 healthy persons that underwent physical examinations during the same period (Control). These groups were evaluated by MMSE and MoCA, and the SAA and 8-OHdG levels in these groups were tested using ELISA sandwich technique. RESULTS The AD group had significantly higher TG and ApoB levels, followed by the MCI and Control groups, respectively (P<0.05). The MCI group had the highest HDL-C level significantly, while the Control group had the lowest (P<0.05). The Control (normal) group had significantly higher MoCA and MMSE scores, followed by the MCI group and the AD group (P<0.05). The Control (normal) group had significantly lower SAA and 8-OHdG levels, followed by the MCI group and the AD group (P<0.05). The MoCA and MMSE scores and serum 8-OHdG and serum SAA levels in the 3 groups were negatively correlated, but their SAA and 8-OHdG levels were positively correlated. CONCLUSIONS SAA and 8-OHdG in the MCI and AD groups were highly expressed but had an inverse correlation with cognitive function scores (hereafter referred to as CFs scores). They can also be applied as test indicators of MCI. We also detected an apparent link between SAA and 8-OHdG.

Lysine acetylation contributes to development, aflatoxin biosynthesis and pathogenicity in Aspergillus flavus.

Aspergillus flavus is a pathogenic fungus that produces carcinogenic aflatoxins, posing a great threat to crops, animals and humans. Lysine acetylation is one of the most important reversible post-translational modifications and plays a vital regulatory role in various cellular processes. However, current information on the extent and function of lysine acetylation and aflatoxin biosynthesis in A. flavus is limited. Here, a global acetylome analysis of A. flavus was performed by peptide pre-fractionation, pan-acetylation antibody enrichment and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. A total of 1313 high-confidence acetylation sites in 727 acetylated proteins were identified in A. flavus. These acetylation proteins are widely involved in glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, pentose phosphate pathway, citric acid cycle and aflatoxin biosynthesis. AflO (O-methyltransferase), a key enzyme in aflatoxin biosynthesis, was found to be acetylated at K241 and K384. Deletion of aflO not only impaired conidial and sclerotial developments, but also dramatically suppressed aflatoxin production and pathogenicity of A. flavus. Further site-specific mutations showed that lysine acetylation of AflO could also result in defects in development, aflatoxin production and pathogenicity, suggesting that acetylation plays a vital role in the regulation of the enzymatic activity of AflO in A. flavus. Our findings provide evidence for the involvement of lysine acetylation in various biological processes in A. flavus and facilitating in the elucidation of metabolic networks.

Effect of a typical systemic hospital reform on inpatient expenditure for rural population: the Sanming model in China.

BACKGROUND: Considering catastrophic health expenses in rural households with hospitalised members were unproportionally high, in 2013, China developed a model of systemic reform in Sanming by adjusting payment method, pharmaceutical system, and medical services price. The reform was expected to control the excessive growth of hospital expenditures by reducing inefficiency and waste in health system or shortening the length of stay. This study analyzed the systemic reform's impact on the financial burden and length of stay for the rural population in Sanming. METHODS: A total of 1,113,615 inpatient records for the rural population were extracted from the rural new cooperative medical scheme (NCMS) database in Sanming from 2007 to 2012 (before the reform) and from 2013 to 2016 (after the reform). We calculated the average growth rate of total inpatient expenditures and costs of different medical service categories (medications, diagnostic testing, physician services and therapeutic services) in these two periods. Generalized linear models (GLM) were employed to examine the effect of reform on out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditures and length of stay, controlling for some covariates. Furthermore, we controlled the fixed effects of the year and hospitals, and included cluster standard errors by hospital to assess the robustness of the findings in the GLM analysis. RESULTS: The typical systemic reform decreased the average growth rate of total inpatient expenditures by 1.34%, compared with the period before the reform. The OOP expenditures as a share of total expenditures showed a downward trend after the reform (42.34% in 2013). Holding all else constant, individuals after the reform spent ¥308.42 less on OOP expenditures (p < 0.001) than they did before the reform. Moreover, length of stay had a decrease of 0.67 days after the reform (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggested that the typical systemic hospital reform of the Sanming model had some positive effects on cost control and reducing financial burden for the rural population. Considering the OOP expenditures as a share of total expenditures was still high, China still has a long way to go to improve the benefits rural people have enjoyed from the NCMS.

Study on the cost attributable to central venous catheter-related bloodstream infection and its influencing factors in a tertiary hospital in China.

BACKGROUND: Central venous catheters (CVC) have been widely used for patients with severe conditions. However, they increase the risk of catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI), which is associated with high economic burden. Until now, no study has focused on the cost attributable to CRBSI in China, and data on its economic burden are unavailable. The aim of this study was to assess the cost attributable to CRBSI and its influencing factors. METHODS: A retrospective matched case-control study and multivariate analysis were conducted in a tertiary hospital, with 94 patients (age ≥ 18 years old) from January 2011 to November 2015. Patients with CRBSI were matched to those without CRBSI by age, principal diagnosis, and history of surgery. The difference in cost between the case group and control group during the hospitalization was calculated as the cost attributable to CRBSI, which included the total cost and five specific cost categories: drug, diagnostic imaging, laboratory testing, health care technical services, and medical material. The relation between the total cost attributable to CRBSI and its influencing factors such as demographic characteristics, diagnosis and treatment, and pathogenic microorganism, was analysed with a general linear model (GLM). RESULTS: The total cost attributable to CRBSI was $3528.6, and the costs of specific categories including drugs, diagnostic imaging, laboratory testing, health care technical services, and medical material, were $2556.4, $112.1, $321.7, $268.7, $276.5, respectively. GLM analysis indicated that the total cost was associated with the intensive care unit (ICU), pathogenic microorganism, age, and catheter number, according to the sequence of standardized estimate (ß). ICU contributed the most to the model R-square. CONCLUSION: Central venous catheter-related bloodstream infection represents a great economic burden for patients. More attentions should be paid to further prevent and control this infection in China.

Comparative study on fermentation performance in the genome shuffled Candida versatilis and wild-type salt tolerant yeast strain.

BACKGROUND: The fermentation performance of a genome-shuffled strain of Candida versatilis S3-5, isolated for improved tolerance to salt, and wild-type (WT) strain were analysed. The fermentation parameters, such as growth, reducing sugar, ethanol, organic acids and volatile compounds, were detected during soy sauce fermentation process. RESULTS: The results showed that ethanol produced by the genome shuffled strain S3-5 was increasing at a faster rate and to a greater extent than WT. At the end of the fermentation, malic acid, citric acid and succinic acid formed in tricarboxylic acid cycle after S3-5 treatment elevated by 39.20%, 6.85% and 17.09% compared to WT, respectively. Moreover, flavour compounds such as phenethyl acetate, ethyl vanillate, ethyl acetate, isoamyl acetate, ethyl myristate, ethyl pentadecanoate, ethyl palmitate and phenylacetaldehyde produced by S3-5 were 2.26, 2.12, 2.87, 34.41, 6.32, 13.64, 2.23 and 78.85 times as compared to WT. CONCLUSIONS: S3-5 exhibited enhanced metabolic ability as compared to the wild-type strain, improved conversion of sugars to ethanol, metabolism of organic acid and formation of volatile compounds, especially esters, Moreover, S3-5 might be an ester-flavour type salt-tolerant yeast. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells through ROS-Ca(2+)-JNK mitochondrial pathways.

Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), a well-known dietary n-3 PUFAS, has been considered to inhibit proliferation of tumor cells. However, the molecular mechanism related to EPA-induced liver cancer cells apoptosis has not been reported. In this study, we investigated the effect of EPA on HepG2 cells proliferation and apoptosis mechanism through mitochondrial pathways. EPA inhibited proliferation of HepG2 cells in a dose-dependent manner and had no significant effect on the cell viability of humor normal liver L-02 cells. It was found that EPA initially evoked ROS formation, leading to [Ca(2+)]c accumulation and the mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP) opening; EPA-induced HepG2 cells apoptosis was inhibited by N-acetylcysteine (NAC, an inhibitor of ROS), 1,2-bis (2-aminophenoxy) ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (BAPTA-AM, a chelator of calcium) and CsA (inhibitor of MPTP). The relationship between ROS production, the increase of cytoplasmic Ca and MPTP opening was detected. It seems that ROS may act as an upstream regulator of EPA-induced [Ca(2+)]c generation, moreover, generation of ROS, overload of mitochondrial [Ca(2+)]c, and JNK activated cause the opening of MPTP. Western blotting results showed that EPA elevated the phosphorylation status of JNK, processes associated with the ROS generation. Simultaneously, the apoptosis induced by EPA was related to release of cytochrome C from mitochondria to cytoplasm through the MPTP and activation of caspase-9 and caspase-3. These results suggest that EPA induces apoptosis through ROS-Ca(2+)-JNK mitochondrial pathways.

Novel quantitative metabolomic approach for the study of stress responses of plant root metabolism.

Quantitative metabolomics (qMetabolomics) is a powerful tool for understanding the intricate metabolic processes involved in plant abiotic stress responses. qMetabolomics is hindered by the limited coverage and high cost of isotopically labeled standards. In this study, we first selected 271 metabolites which might play important roles in abiotic stress responses as the targets and established a comprehensive LC-MS/MS based qMetabolomic method. We then developed a novel metabolic labeling method using E. coli-Saccharomyces cerevisiae two-step cultivation for the production of uniformly (13)C-labeled metabolites as internal standards. Finally, we applied the developed qMetabolomic method to investigate the influence of Pb stress on maize root metabolism. The absolute concentration of 226 metabolites in maize roots was accurately quantified in a single run within 30 min. Our study also revealed that glycolysis, purine, pyrimidine, and phospholipids were the main metabolic pathways in maize roots involved in Pb stress response. To our knowledge, this is the most comprehensive qMetabolomic method for plant metabolomics thus far. We developed a simple and inexpensive metabolic labeling method which dramatically expanded the availability of uniformly (13)C labeled metabolites. Our findings also provided new insights of maize metabolic responses to Pb stress.

A polysaccharide from Grifola frondosa relieves insulin resistance of HepG2 cell by Akt-GSK-3 pathway.

Grifola frondosa is an important fungal research resource. However, there was little report about hyperglycemic activity of Grifola frondosa polysaccharide on insulin resistance in vitro. In this study, the hypoglycemic activity of a polysaccharide obtained from Grifola frondosa (GFP) on HepG2 cell and hpyerglycemic mechanism were investigated. The purity of the isolated polysaccharides was examined by HPLC. In this research, it was found that GFP enhanced the absorption of glucose of HepG2 cells in a dose dependent manner at 24 h of 30 ugmL⁻¹. GC-MS and FT-IR spectroscopy analysis results showed that glucose and galactose were the dominant monosaccharides in GFP and the major component of GFP was ß-pyranoside. Western-blotting results showed that the HepG2 cell model treated with GFP activated the insulin receptor protein (IRS) in the cell membrane and increased phosphorylated-AktSer473 expression, which had an inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase (GSK-3). The down-regulation of GSK-3 stimulated synthesis of intracellular glycogen. The results above suggested that the GFP increased the metabolism of glucose and stimulated synthesis of intracellular glycogen through the Akt/GSK-3 pathway.

Comparison of the genomes and transcriptomes associated with the different protease secretions of Aspergillus oryzae 100-8 and 3.042.

Aspergillus oryzae is used to produce traditional fermented foods and beverages. A. oryzae 3.042 produces a neutral protease and an alkaline protease but rarely an acid protease, which is unfavourable to soy-sauce fermentation. A. oryzae 100-8 was obtained by N(+) ion implantation mutagenesis of A. oryzae 3.042, and the protease secretions of these two strains are different. Sequencing the genome of A. oryzae 100-8 and comparing it to the genomes of A. oryzae 100-8 and 3.042 revealed some differences, such as single nucleotide polymorphisms, nucleotide deletion or insertion. Some of these differences may reflect the ability of A. oryzae to secrete proteases. Transcriptional sequencing and analysis of the two strains during the same growth processes provided further insights into the genes and pathways involved in protease secretion.

Non-targeted metabolomic reveals the effect of salt stress on global metabolite of halotolerant yeast Candida versatilis and principal component analysis.

As one of the major microbes in the soy sauce fermentation, Candida versatilis enriches the flavor and improves the quality of soy sauce. In this study, a combination of five different GC-MS and LC-MS-based metabolome analytical approaches was used to analyze the intracellular, extracellular and whole metabolites of C. versatilis. Our results found out that a total of 132, 244 and 267 different metabolites were detectable from the intracellular, extracellular and whole part, respectively. When exposed to 0. 9 and 18 % salt, respectively, 114, 123 and 129 different intracellular metabolites, 184, 200 and 178 extracellular metabolites and 177, 188 and 186 whole metabolites were detected, respectively. Our data showed that salt enhances the metabolic capacity of C. versatilis, especially its amino acid and enhances the synthesis and secretion of some metabolites of C. versatilis, especially the aldehydes and phenols, such as vanillin, guaiacol and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural. Our data also showed that special attention has to be paid to the generation of biogenic amines when C. versatilis was treated with salt.

Acetamiprid removal in wastewater by the low-temperature plasma using dielectric barrier discharge.

Degradation of acetamiprid in wastewater was studied in a dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactor. This reactor produces ultraviolet light and reactive species like ozone (O3) can be used for the treatment of wastewater. We examined the factors that could affect the degradation process, including the discharge power, and the initial concentrations of acetamiprid, and O3 which is generated by the DBD reactor. We also investigated the effect of adding Na2B4O7 as a radical scavenger to probe the role of hydroxyl radical in the reaction. The results indicated that acetamiprid could be removed from aqueous solution effectively and hydroxyl radicals played an important role during the degradation by the low temperature plasma. The degradation process of acetamiprid fits the first-order kinetics. The degradation efficiency was 83.48 percent at 200 min when the discharge power was 170 W and the initial acetamiprid concentration was 50 mg/L. The removal efficiency of acetamiprid decreased with the increasing concentration of Na2B4O7 because B4O7(2-) is an excellent radical scavenger that inhibited the generation of OH during the DBD process. The removal efficiency of acetamiprid improved in the presence of O3. The main reason was that O3 can oxidize certain organic compounds directly or indirectly by generating hydroxyl radicals. The degradation products of acetamiprid were characterized qualitatively and quantitatively using high performance liquid chromatography, mass spectrometry and UV-vis spectroscopy.

Effect of salt-tolerant yeast of Candida versatilis and Zygosaccharomyces rouxii on the production of biogenic amines during soy sauce fermentation.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to enhance and improve the quality and safety of soy sauce. In the present work, the change of biogenic amines, such as histamine, tyramine, cadaverine, spermidine, was examined by the treatment of Candida versatilis and Zygosaccharomyces rouxii, and the influence of salt-tolerant yeast on biogenic amines was analysed during the whole fermentation process. RESULTS: The results showed that the content of biogenic amines was elevated after yeast treatment and the content of biogenic amines was influenced by using yeast. The dominating biogenic amine in soy sauce was tyramine. At the end of fermentation, the concentrations of biogenic amines produced by Zygosaccharomyces rouxii and Candida versatilis in the soy mash were 122.71 mg kg(-1) and 69.96 mg kg(-1) . CONCLUSIONS: The changes of biogenic amines in high-salt liquid soy mash during fermentation process indicated that a variety of biogenic amines were increased in the fermentation ageing period, which may be due to amino acid decarboxylation to form biogenic amines by yeast decarboxylase. The fermentation period of soy sauce should be longer than 5 months because biogenic amines began to decline after this time period.

Drug-drug interaction between tacrolimus and caspofungin in Chinese kidney transplant patients with different CYP3A5 genotypes.

Background: The effect of drug-drug interaction between tacrolimus and caspofungin on the pharmacokinetics of tacrolimus in different CYP3A5 genotypes has not been reported in previous studies. Objectives: To investigate the effect of caspofungin on the blood concentration and dose of tacrolimus under different CYP3A5 genotypes. Design: We conducted a retrospective cohort study in The First Affiliated Hospital of Shandong First Medical University and Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital from January 2015 to December 2022. All kidney transplant patients were divided into the combination or non-combination group based on whether tacrolimus was combined with caspofungin or not. Patients were subdivided into CYP3A5 expressers (CYP3A5*1/*1 or CYP3A5*1/*3) and CYP3A5 non-expressers (CYP3A5*3/*3). Methods: Data from the combination and the non-combination groups were matched with propensity scores to reduce confounding by SPSS 22.0. A total of 200 kidney transplant patients receiving tacrolimus combined with caspofungin or not were enrolled in this study. Statistical analysis was conducted on the dose-corrected trough concentrations (C0/D) and dose requirements (D) of tacrolimus using independent sample two-sided t-test and nonparametric tests to investigate the impact on patients with different. Results: In this study, the C0/D values of tacrolimus were not significantly different between the combination and non-combination groups (p = 0.054). For CYP3A5 expressers, there was no significant difference in tacrolimus C0/D or D values between the combination and non-combination groups (p = 0.359; p = 0.851). In CYP3A5 nonexpressers, the C0/D values of tacrolimus were significantly lower in the combination than in the non-combination groups (p = 0.039), and the required daily dose of tacrolimus was increased by 11.11% in the combination group. Conclusion: Co-administration of caspofungin reduced tacrolimus blood levels and elevated the required daily dose of tacrolimus. In CYP3A5 non-expressers, co-administration of caspofungin had a significant effect on tacrolimus C0/D values. An approximate 10% increase in the weight-adjusted daily dose of tacrolimus in CYP3A5 non-expressers is recommended to ensure the safety of tacrolimus administration.

Differential drug interactions of caspofungin on tacrolimus in Chinese kidney transplant patients with different CYP3A5 genotypes Why was the study done? Currently, there have been studies reporting the effect of caspofungin on tacrolimus blood concentrations, but the conclusions are conflicting, and no study has focused on the effect of CYP3A5 genotypes on the drug-drug interaction. We explored a number of research questions: 1. Does caspofungin have an effect on the pharmacokinetics of the immunosuppressant tacrolimus? 2. How does CYP3A5*3, which affects tacrolimus metabolism significantly, affect tacrolimus blood concentration levels? 3. How should the dose of tacrolimus be adjusted when combined with caspofungin? What did the researchers do? By reviewing literature, we understood the problems related with the kidney transplant patients better, which led to the development of strict inclusion and exclusion criteria. The patients (from January 2015 to December 2022) were categorized into combination and non-combination groups according to whether they were co-administered with caspofungin or not. The results of the study were analyzed using SPSS 22.0. What did the researchers find? The study finally included 200 patients. We found no statistically significant differences in the dose-corrected trough concentrations (C₀/D) and dose requirements (D) of tacrolimus between the combination and non-combination groups. However, in patients with CYPA5*3/*3 genotype, tacrolimus C₀/D values were significantly lower in the combination group than in the non-combination group, and the required daily tacrolimus dose was increased. What do the findings mean? This study has found that co-administration of caspofungin in patients with CYP3A5*3/*3 genotype resulted in a significant decrease in the C₀/D value of tacrolimus, therefore, an appropriate increase in the daily dose of tacrolimus is recommended. The implication is that it is important and necessary to monitor the concentrations of tacrolimus and the CYP3A5 genotypes, and adjust the dose when combined or discontinuing with caspofungin in kidney transplant patients.