Membrane separation of antibiotics predicted with the back propagation neural network.

Antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) have been frequently detected in the aquatic environment and are regarded as emerging pollutants. The prediction models for the removal effect of four target antibiotics by membrane separation technology were constructed based on back propagation neural network (BPNN) through training the input and output. The membrane separation tests of antibiotics showed that the removal effect of microfiltration on azithromycin and ciprofloxacin was better, basically above 80%. For sulfamethoxazole (SMZ) and tetracycline (TC), ultrafiltration and nanofiltration had better removal effects. There was a strong correlation between the concentrations of SMZ and TC in the permeate, and the R2 of the training and validation processes exceeded 0.9. The stronger the correlation between the input layer variables and the prediction target was, the better the prediction performances of the BPNN model than the nonlinear model and the unscented Kalman filter model were. These results showed that the established BPNN prediction model could better simulate the removal of target antibiotics by membrane separation technology. The model could be used to predict and explore the influence of external conditions on membrane separation technology and provide a certain basis for the application of the BPNN model in environmental protection.

Silencing of circular RNA ANRIL attenuates oxygen-glucose deprivation and reoxygenation-induced injury in human brain microvascular endothelial cells by sponging miR-622.

BACKGROUND: Circular RNA (circRNA) is highly expressed in the brain tissue, but its molecular mechanism in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion remains unclear. Here, we explored the role and underlying mechanisms of circRNA antisense non-coding RNA in the INK4 locus (circ_ANRIL) in oxygen-glucose deprivation and reoxygenation (OGD/R)-induced cell injury. RESULTS: The expression of circ_ANRIL in OGD/R-induced human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs) was significantly up-regulated, while that of miR-622 was significantly down-regulated. Overexpression of circ_ANRIL significantly inhibited the proliferation of OGD/R-induced HBMECs and aggravated OGD/R-induced cell apoptosis. Moreover, circ_ANRIL overexpression further increased the secretion of interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-α, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in OGD/R-treated HBMECs. The results of bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assay indicated that circ_ANRIL served as an miR-622 sponge to negatively regulate the expression of miR-622 in OGD/R-treated HBMECs. Additionally, circ_ANRIL silencing exerted anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory effects by positively regulating the expression of miR-622. Furthermore, inhibition of OGD/R-induced activation of the nuclear factor (NF)-κB pathway by circ_ANRIL silencing was significantly reversed by treatment with miR-622 inhibitor. CONCLUSIONS: Knockdown of circ_ANRIL improved OGD/R-induced cell damage, apoptosis, and inflammatory responses by inhibiting the NF-κB pathway through sponging miR-622.

Remediation of Cd-contaminated soil by electrokinetics coupled with the permeable reactive barrier from immobilized yeast.

Yeast was used to prepare permeable reactive barrier (PRB) with immobilized microbial technology, and the electrokinetics coupled with the immobilized yeast PRB (IMEK-PRB) was established to remediate Cd-contaminated soil. The effect of the different PRBs prepared by immobilized microbial technology on Cd removal was explored. The voltage gradient had influence on the removal of Cd, and the removal reached as high as 53.70 % at a voltage gradient of 2.5 V/cm. The lowest removal about 34.12 % was obtained with yeast pellets prepared by the embedding method used as PRB. The yeast in PRB was partially broken and adhered, and the intensity of the absorption peak of the group analyzed with infrared spectra and the crystal diffraction peak from X-ray diffraction changed, leading to a decrease in its activity. The average removal of Cd increased by >10 % when fly ash-based yeast pellets prepared with the adsorption-embedding method, and fly ash-adsorbed yeast prepared by the adsorption method were used as PRB. IMEK-PRB remediation would greatly reduce the toxicity of Cd-contaminated soil, weaken harmful effects on the soil environment and reduce environmental risks. The fly ash-based yeast pellets used in IMEK-PRB have great application prospects for the remediation of Cd-contaminated soil.

Degradation of sulfamethoxazole and antibiotic resistance genes from surface water in the photocatalyst-loading bionic ecosystems.

The behavior and removal of sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and 3 typical corresponding antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) including sul1, sul2, sul3, and 16S rDNA in surface water were investigated in the photocatalyst-loading bionic ecosystems (PCBEs). Synthesized composite photocatalyst g-C3N4/TiO2 showing higher catalytic activity than Fe/g-C3N4/TiO2 was selected in the PCBEs. Five PCBEs, i.e., A-the control (without bionic grass or photocatalyst), B-bionic grass loaded with 4.12 g/m2 g-C3N4/TiO2, C-bionic grass loaded with 8.25 g/m2 g-C3N4/TiO2, D-bionic grass loaded with 12.37 g/m2 g-C3N4/TiO2, and E-bionic grass loaded with 16.5 g/m2 g-C3N4/TiO2 were constructed and operated in a medium-scale running cyclical flume. SMX could be photolyzed efficiently by g-C3N4/TiO2 with an optimal unit load on the bionic grass of 12.37 g/m2. 3-amino-5-methylisooxazole and p-aminobenzene sulfonamide were selected as main intermediates through the analyses of SMX degradation mechanisms and pathways, and detected in the aqueous phase and bionic grass. The intermediates were higher in the underwater part of the bionic grass than the above-water part. The overall removal of SMX ranged from 31.7 % to 82.3 % in 5 PCBEs, and the removal of sul1and sul2 were 0.2 %- 62.9 % in the aqueous phase and 8.4 %-63.2 % in the sediment. PCBE D might be the best construction when SMX and ARGs' removal was considered comprehensively. Moreover, the microbial structures showed Proteobacteria as the most dominant bacterial species had a relative abundance of 22.2 %-26.6 % and 33.4 %-68.2 % in the aquatic phase and sediment respectively, illustrating that the removal of the antibiotic and ARGs was bound up with the variations of dominant bacteria in the ecosystems. The findings illustrated that ecosystems with bionic grass and photocatalysts could be a promising technology for the removal of typical antibiotics and ARGs from surface water.

Enzymatic integrated in-situ advanced anaerobic digestion of sewage sludge for the removal of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes.

Antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in sewage sludge can cause high ecotoxicological risks in the environment and public health concerns. The aims of this study were to establish enzymatic integrated in-situ advanced anaerobic digestion (AAD) by adding cellulase and papain as well as the two enzymes combined with zero valent iron (ZVI) directly into the anaerobic digesters to explore the removal of antibiotics and ARGs under the mesophilic condition (35 °C). The methane production potential during in-situ AAD was effectively improved. Papain and cellulase at 30 mg/gTSS were most effective in improving antibiotic removal. The removal of sulfamerazine (SMZ) and sulfadiazine (SMR) could reach 89.10 % and 71.75 %. Combined enzymes with ZVI also enhanced the removal of all target antibiotics, especially roxithromycin (ROX), SMZ and SMR most significantly. Except for sul1, tetA and tetB, the removal of ARGs by papain reached 6.33 %-82.15 %. The addition of cellulase effectively improved tetA removal. The combination of biological enzymes further enhanced the removal of qnrS and ermX. The tetG, tetB, sul3, ermX, ermT, qnrS, and aac(6')-IB-CR by combined enzymes with ZVI could even not be detected after digestion. Addition of papain, cellulase, and ZVI caused variations in the dominant bacteria. All target antibiotics presented significant positive correlations with the genera norank_f__Bacteroidetes_vadinHA17, norank_f__norank_o__SJA-15, norank_f__norank_o__Aminicenantales. Redundancy analysis showed archaea Methanosaeta and Candidatus_ Methanoacidiosum genera greatly contributed to antibiotics removal with the combination of enzymes and ZVI. Co-occurrence network analysis indicated the removal of ARGs was mainly based on the changes of existence of host bacteria.

Mesenchymal stem cell-based therapy for burn wound healing.

Burns, with their high incidence and mortality rates, have a devastating effect on patients. There are still huge challenges in the management of burns. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which have multidirectional differentiation potential, have aroused interest in exploring the capacity for treating different intractable diseases due to their strong proliferation, tissue repair, immune tolerance and paracrine abilities, among other features. Currently, several animal studies have shown that MSCs play various roles and have beneficial effects in promoting wound healing, inhibiting burn inflammation and preventing the formation of pathological scars during burn healing process. The substances MSCs secrete can act on peripheral cells and promote burn repair. According to preclinical research, MSC-based treatments can effectively improve burn wound healing and reduce pain. However, due to the small number of patients and the lack of controls, treatment plans and evaluation criteria vary widely, thus limiting the value of these clinical studies. Therefore, to better evaluate the safety and effectiveness of MSC-based burn treatments, standardization of the application scheme and evaluation criteria of MSC therapy in burn treatment is required in the future. In addition, the combination of MSC pretreatment and dressing materials are also conducive to improving the therapeutic effect of MSCs on burns. In this article, we review current animal research and clinical trials based on the use of stem cell therapy for treating burns and discuss the main challenges and coping strategies facing future clinical applications.

Silencing of circular RNA ANRIL attenuates oxygen-glucose deprivation and reoxygenation-induced injury in human brain microvascular endothelial cells by sponging miR-622

BACKGROUND: Circular RNA (circRNA) is highly expressed in the brain tissue, but its molecular mechanism in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion remains unclear. Here, we explored the role and underlying mechanisms of circRNA antisense non-coding RNA in the INK4 locus (circ_ANRIL) in oxygen-glucose deprivation and reoxygenation (OGD/R)-induced cell injury. RESULTS: The expression of circ_ANRIL in OGD/R-induced human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs) was significantly up-regulated, while that of miR-622 was significantly down-regulated. Overexpression of circ_ANRIL significantly inhibited the proliferation of OGD/R-induced HBMECs and aggravated OGD/R-induced cell apoptosis. Moreover, circ_ANRIL overexpression further increased the secretion of interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-a, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 in OGD/R-treated HBMECs. The results of bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assay indicated that circ_ANRIL served as an miR-622 sponge to negatively regulate the expression of miR-622 in OGD/R-treated HBMECs. Additionally, circ_ANRIL silencing exerted anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory effects by positively regulating the expression of miR-622. Furthermore, inhibition of OGD/R-induced activation of the nuclear factor (NF)-kB pathway by circ_ANRIL silencing was significantly reversed by treatment with miR-622 inhibitor. CONCLUSIONS: Knockdown of circ_ANRIL improved OGD/R-induced cell damage, apoptosis, and inflammatory responses by inhibiting the NF-κB pathway through sponging miR-622.