A highly sensitive, long-time stable Ag/AgCl ultra-micro sensor for in situ monitoring chloride ions inside the crevice using SECM.

Tracking the variation of Cl- timely within the crevice is of great significance for comprehending the dynamic mechanism of crevice corrosion. The reported chloride ion selective electrodes are difficult to realize the long-time Cl- detection inside the confined crevice, due to their millimeter size or a relative limited lifespan. For this purpose, an Ag/AgCl ultra-micro sensor (UMS) with a radius of 12.5 µm was fabricated and optimized using laser drawing and electrodeposition techniques. Results show the AgCl film's structure is significantly impacted by the deposited current density, and further affects the linear response, life span and stability of Ag/AgCl UMS. The UMS prepared at current density of 0.1 mA/cm2 for 2 h shows a rapid response (several seconds), excellent stability and reproducibility, strong acid/alkali tolerance, sufficient linearity (R2 > 0.99), and long lifespan (86 days). Moreover, combined with the potentiometric mode of scanning electrochemical microscope (SECM), the Ag/AgCl UMS was successfully applied to monitor the in-situ radial Cl- concentration in micro-regions inside a 100 µm gap of stainless steel. The findings demonstrated that there was obvious radial difference in Cl- concentration inside the crevice, where the fastest rise in Cl- concentration was at the opening. The proposed method which combines the UMS with SECM has attractive practical applications for microzone Cl- monitoring in real time inside crevice. It may further promote the study of other localized corrosion mechanism and the development of microzone ions detection method.

Crevice Corrosion Behavior of 201 Stainless Steel in NaCl Solutions with Different pH Values by In Situ Monitoring.

Crevice corrosion (CC) behavior of 201 stainless steel (SS) in 1 M NaCl + x M HCl/y M NaOH solutions with various pH was investigated using SECM and optical microscopic observations. Results show that the CC was initiated by the decrease in pH value within the crevice. The pH value near the crevice mouth falls rapidly to 1.38 in the first 2 h in the strongly acidic solution, while the pH value was observed to rise firstly and then decrease in the neutral and alkaline solutions. It indicates there is no incubation phase in the CC evolution of 201-SS in a pH = 2.00 solution, while an incubation phase was observed in pH = 7.00 and 11.00 solutions. Additionally, there appeared to be a radial pH variation within the gap over time. The pH value is the lowest at the gap mouth, which is in line with the in situ optical observation result that the severely corroded region is at the mouth of the gap. The decrease in pH value inside results in the negative shift of open circuit potential (OCP) and the initiation of CC of 201-SS. The increased anodic dissolution rate in the acidic solution accelerates the breakdown of passive film inside, reducing the initiation time and stimulating the spread of CC.

Loofah sponge crosslinked polyethyleneimine loaded with biochar biofilm reactor for ecological remediation of oligotrophic water: Mechanism, performance, and functional characterization.

The removal of complex pollutants from oligotrophic water is an important challenge for researchers. In this study, the HCl-modified loofah sponge crosslinked polyethyleneimine loaded with biochar (LS/PEI@biochar) biofilm reactor was adapted to achieve efficient removal of complex pollutants in oligotrophic water. On the 35 d, the average removal efficiency of chemical oxygen demand (COD), ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N), calcium (Ca2+), and phosphate (PO43--P) in water was 51, 95, 81, and 77 %, respectively. Additionally, it effectively used a low molecular weight carbon source. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results showed that the LS/PEI@biochar biocarrier had superior biofilm suspension performance. Meanwhile, analysis of the biocrystals confirmed Ca2+ and PO43- removal through the generation of CaCO3 (calcite and vaterite) and Ca5(PO4)3OH. This study demonstrated that the system has great efficiency and application prospect in treating oligotrophic water on the laboratory scale, and will be further validated for practical application on large-scale oligotrophic water.

Kinetic analysis and mechanism of nitrate, calcium, and cadmium removal using the newly isolated Pseudomonas sp. LYF26.

The co-existence of heavy metals and nitrate (NO3--N) pollutants in wastewater has been a persistent global concern for a long time. A strain LYF26, which can remove NO3--N, calcium (Ca(II)), and cadmium (Cd(II)) simultaneously, was isolated to explore the properties and mechanisms of synergistic contaminants removal. Different conditions (Cd(II) and Ca(II) concentrations and pH) were optimized by Zero-, Half-, and First-order kinetic analyses to explore the environmental parameters for the optimal effect of strain LYF26. Results of the kinetic analyses revealed that the optimal culture conditions for strain LYF26 were pH of 6.5, Cd(II) and Ca(II) concentrations of 3.00 and 180.00 mg L-1, accompanied by Ca(II), Cd(II), and NO3--N efficiencies of 53.10%, 90.03%, and 91.45%, respectively. The removal mechanisms of Cd(II) using strain LYF26 as a nucleation template were identified as biomineralization, lattice substitution, and co-precipitation. The differences and changes of dissolved organic matter during metabolism were analyzed and the results demonstrated that besides the involvement of extracellular polymeric substances in the precipitation of Cd(II) and Ca(II), the high content of humic acid-like species revealed a remarkable contribution to the denitrification process. This study is hopeful to contribute a theory for further developing microbially induced calcium precipitation used to treat complex polluted wastewater.

Immobilized bioreactor for enhanced ammonia, phosphorus, and phenol removal and effects of phenol on microbial communities, potential functions, and nitrogen metabolism.

In the present study, an immobilized bioreactor was established to remove ammonia (NH4+-N), phosphate (PO43--P), and phenol using composite mycelium spheres (CMP) as the immobilization material in combination with Pseudomonas sp. Y1. Under optimal operating conditions, the bioreactor achieved 98.07, 91.71, and 92.57 % removal of NH4+-N, PO43--P, and phenol, respectively. The results showed that the bioreactor removed PO43--P by biomineralization and co-precipitation. Phenol removal relied on a Fenton-like reaction achieved by CMP-induced quinone redox cycling. High-throughput sequencing analysis and functional gene prediction indicated that Pseudomonas was the dominant genus and that the bioreactor had much potential for nitrogen removal, respectively. In addition, phenol affected the performance of functional genes and the associated enzymes, which influenced the nitrogen metabolism process in the bioreactor. This work serves as a guideline for the development of more stable and sustainable composite pollution removal technologies and fungal-bacterial symbiotic systems.

Sstr2 Defines the Cone Differentiation-Competent Late-Stage Retinal Progenitor Cells in the Developing Mouse Retina.

Cone cell death is a characteristic shared by various retinal degenerative disorders, such as cone-rod dystrophy, Stargardt disease, achromatopsia, and retinitis pigmentosa. This leads to conditions like color blindness and permanently impaired visual acuity. Stem cell therapy focused on photoreceptor replacement holds promise for addressing these conditions. However, identifying surface markers that aid in enriching retinal progenitor cells (RPCs) capable of differentiating into cones remains a complex task. In this study, we employed single-cell RNA sequencing to scrutinize the transcriptome of developing retinas in C57BL/6J mice. This revealed the distinctive expression of somatostatin receptor 2 (Sstr2), a surface protein, in late-stage RPCs exhibiting the potential for photoreceptor differentiation. In vivo lineage tracing experiments verified that Sstr2+ cells within the late embryonic retina gave rise to cones, amacrine and horizontal cells during the developmental process. Furthermore, Sstr2+ cells that were isolated from the late embryonic mouse retina displayed RPC markers and exhibited the capability to differentiate into cones in vitro. Upon subretinal transplantation into both wild-type and retinal degeneration 10 (rd10) mice, Sstr2+ cells survived and expressed cone-specific markers. This study underscores the ability of Sstr2 to enrich late-stage RPCs primed for cone differentiation to a large extent. It proposes the utility of Sstr2 as a biomarker for RPCs capable of generating cones for transplantation purposes.

Manganese redox cycling in immobilized bioreactors for simultaneous removal of nitrate and 17ß-estradiol: Performance, mechanisms and community assembly potential.

The application of bio-manganese (Mn) redox cycling for continuous removal of contaminants provides promise for addressing coexisting contaminants in groundwater, however, the feasibility of constructing Mn redox cycling system (MCS) through community assembly remains to be elucidated. In this study, Mn-reducing strain MFG10 and Mn-oxidizing strain MFQ7 synergistically removed 94.67 % of 17ß-estradiol (E2) within 12 h. Analysis of potential variations in Mn oxides suggested that MCS accelerated the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and Mn(III), which interacted to promote E2 removal. After continuous operation of the Mn ore-based immobilized bioreactor for 270 days, the experimental group (EG) achieved average removal efficiencies of 89.63 % and 97.57 % for NO3--N and E2, respectively. High-throughput sequencing results revealed complex symbiotic relationships in EG. Community assembly significantly enhanced the metabolic and physiological activity of the bioreactor, which promoting the expression of core functions including nitrogen metabolism, Mn cycling and organic matter resistance.

Deciphering microbial syntrophic mechanisms for simultaneous removal of nitrate and Cr(VI) by Mn@Corn cob immobilized bioreactor: Performance, enhancement mechanisms and community assembly.

When bioremediation is applied to Cr(VI) and NO3--N contaminated groundwater, the lack of carbon sources and weak physiological activity dramatically affect the treatment efficacy. Hence, a bioreactor consisting of cellulose degradation-manganese (Mn) cycling bilayer carrier and two core strains was established. After 270 operating days, the experimental group (EG) achieved 96.34 and 95.37% of NO3--N and Cr(VI) removal efficiency, respectively. When the C/N ratio was reduced to 1.0, cellulose-degrading strain CDZ9 produced significantly hydrolyzed cellulose from the corn cob substrate. Meanwhile, the balance between microbial metabolic activity and carbon supply was manipulated by the dissimilatory Mn-reducing strain MFG10. Dissolved organic matter response in EG provided evidence for enhanced carbon utilization and electron transfer processes. The syntrophic relationship between EG core strains significantly enhanced bioreactor metabolism and bioactivity. It drove the coupling of different elemental cycles with contaminant removal including carbon metabolism, nitrogen metabolism, Mn cycle and Cr(VI) reduction.

LncRNA NEAT1 Promotes the Malignant Progression of Colorectal Cancer by Targeting ZEB1 via miR-448.

Background: Long noncoding RNAs have been associated with various types of malignant tumors; however, the specific role of long noncoding RNAs in tumorigenesis still remains unclear in colorectal cancer. Here, we aim to elucidate the role of long noncoding RNA nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 in the malignant progression of colorectal cancer and investigate its underlying mechanisms. Methods: Real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to detect the expression of nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 in colorectal cancer tissues and cells. Cell Counting Kit-8 assay was used to determine the effect of nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 in proliferation. Transwell assay was used to explore the role of nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 in metastasis. Bioinformatics method was used to predict the core nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 interaction network. Real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to detect nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 and miR-448 expression levels. Western blotting was used to detect the expression levels of ZEB1. Luciferase assay was used to verify the relationship among nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1, miR-448, and ZEB1. The effect of nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 on tumor growth was detected by tumorigenesis test in nude mice. Results: Long noncoding RNA-nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 was up-regulated in colorectal cancer tissues and cells. Knocking down of nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 can suppress colorectal cancer proliferation and invasion, and caused a reduction of ZEB1 expression and an increase of miR-448 expression. Furthermore, knockdown of nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 regulated miR-448/ZEB1 axis to inhibit the expression of ZEB1. miR-448 silencing can reverse the effect of nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 knockdown. Conclusion: Our result demonstrated that long noncoding RNA nuclear paraspeckle assembly transcript 1 promotes proliferation and invasion of colorectal cancer by targeting miR-448 to promote the expression of ZEB1, which may play a significant role in the tumorigenesis of colorectal cancer.

Denitrification strategy of Pantoea sp. MFG10 coupled with microbial dissimilatory manganese reduction: Deciphering the physiological response based on extracellular secretion.

In this study, the manganese (Mn) reduction-coupled denitrification strategy of dissimilatory Mn reducing bacteria was insightfully investigated. Different parameters (MnO2 level, pH, and temperature) were optimized by kinetic fitting to improve denitrification and Mn reduction effects. The 300 mg L-1 MnO2 addition achieved 98.72% NO3--N removal in 12 h, which was 54.62% higher than blank group without MnO2. Scale-up studies showed that the metabolic activity of the bacteria was effectively enhanced by the addition of MnO2. Besides the deepening of humification in the system, tryptophan-like protein and polysaccharide as potential electron donor precursors revealed remarkable contributions to the extracellular secretion-dependent denitrification process of DMRB. The effect of EPS on Mn reduction depends mainly on the capture of MnO2 by the LB-EPS layer versus its dissolution in the TB-EPS layer. Ultimately, the EPS possess a dual effect of accelerated denitrification and Mn reduction efficiency due to the enhanced EET process.

Enhanced nitrate, manganese, and phenol removal by polyvinyl alcohol/sodium alginate with biochar gel beads immobilized bioreactor: Performance, mechanism, and bacterial diversity.

Water pollutants, such as nitrate, heavy metals, and organics have attracted attention due to their harms to environmental and biological health. A novel polyvinyl alcohol/sodium alginate with biochar (PVA/SA@biochar) gel beads immobilized bioreactor was established to remove nitrate, manganese, and phenol. The optimum conditions for preparing gel beads were studied by response surface methodology (RSM). Notably, the removal efficiencies of nitrate, Mn(II), and phenol were 94.64, 72.74, and 93.97% at C/N of 2.0; the concentrations of Mn(II) and phenol were 20 and 1 mg L-1, respectively. Moreover, addition of different concentrations of phenol significantly affected the components of dissolved organic matter, bacterial activity, and bioreactor performance. The biological manganese oxide (BMO) with three-dimensional petal-type structure produced during Mn(II) oxidation showed excellent adsorption capacity. The removal of phenol relied on a combination of biological action and adsorption processes. High-throughput analysis showed that Zoogloea sp. was the predominant bacterial group.

Bioaugmented removal of 17ß-estradiol, nitrate and Mn(II) by polypyrrole@corn cob immobilized bioreactor: Performance optimization, mechanism, and microbial community response.

The coexistence of nitrate and endocrine substances (EDCs) in groundwater is of global concern. Herein, an efficient and stable polypyrrole@corn cob (PPy@Corn cob) bioreactor immobilized with Zoogloea sp. was designed for the simultaneous removal of 17ß-estradiol (E2), nitrate and Mn(II). After 225 days of continuous operation, the optimal operating parameters and enhanced removal mechanism were explored, also the long-term toxicity and microbial communities response mechanisms under E2 stress were comprehensively evaluated. The results showed that the removal efficiencies of E2, nitrate, and Mn(II) were 84.21, 82.96, and 47.91%, respectively, at the optimal operating conditions with hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 8 h, pH of 6.5 and Mn(II) concentration of 20 mg L-1. Further increased of initial E2 (2 and 3 mg L-1) resulted in the inhibiting effect of denitrification and manganese oxidation, but excellent E2 removal efficiencies maintained, which were associated with the formation and continuous accumulation of biomanganese oxides (BMO). Characterization analysis of biological precipitation demonstrated that adsorption and redox conversion on the BMO surface played key roles in the removal of E2. In addition, different levels of E2 exposure are decisive factors in community evolution, and bioaugmented bacterial communities with Zoogloea as the core group can dynamically adapt to E2 stress. This study offers the possibility to better utilize microbial metabolism and to advance opportunities that depend on microbial physiology and material characterization applications.

Efficient removal of nitrate, manganese, and tetracycline in a novel loofah immobilized bioreactor: Performance, microbial diversity, and functional genes.

The remediation of multiple pollutants in water, for instance, nitrate, heavy metals, and antibiotics is urgent and necessary for the global water resources protection. Herein, a modified loofah bioreactor was designed for simultaneous denitrification, manganese (Mn) oxidation, and tetracycline (TC) removal. The maximum removal efficiencies of NO3--N (91.97%), Mn(II) (71.25%), and TC (57.39%) were achieved at a hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 9 h, Mn(II) concentration of 20 mg L-1, and TC concentration of 1 mg L-1. SEM and XRD were carried out to characterize the bioprecipitation in the operation of bioreactor. TC addition affected the gaseous denitrification products, dissolved organic matter, as well as reduced the OTU in the bioreactor. The Zoogloea were regarded as the dominant species in the microbial community and played an essential role in the operation of bioreactor. Metagenomic analysis proved the great potential for denitrification, manganese oxidation, and antibiotic removal of loofah bioreactor.

Brevundimonas diminuta isolated from mines polluted soil immobilized cadmium (Cd2+) and zinc (Zn2+) through calcium carbonate precipitation: Microscopic and spectroscopic investigations.

The toxic metal(loid)s TMs resistant bacterium Brevundimonas diminuta was isolated for the first time from mines polluted soil in Fengxian, China, and assessed for its potential for Cd and Zn precipitation in Cd and Zn co-contaminated aqueous solution at various Cd and Zn levels (20, 40, 80, 160, and 200 mg L-1), pH values (5, 6, 7, 8, and 9), and temperatures (20, 25, 30, and 35 °C). B. diminuta showed a high resistance to both Cd and Zn and was able to precipitate up to 99.2 and 99.7% of dissolved Cd and Zn respectively, at a pH of 7 and temperature of 30 °C. B. diminuta reduced the dissolved concentrations of Cd and Zn below the threshold levels in water. The 3D-EEM analysis revealed the presence of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) such as tryptophan indicating bacterial growth under Cd/Zn stress. FTIR showed polysaccharides, CO32-, CaCO3, PO43-, and proteins, which may enhance bacterial growth and metal precipitation. SEM-EDS confirmed the leaf-like and granular shape of the biological precipitation and reduction in the percent weight of TMs, which promoted the adhesion/adsorption of Cd2+, Zn2+, and Ca2+. Moreover, XRD analysis confirmed the precipitation of Cd, Zn, and Ca in the form of CdCO3/Cd3(PO4)2, ZnCO3/ZnHPO4/Zn2(OH)PO4/Zn3(PO4)2, and CaCO3/Ca5(PO3)4OH, respectively. These findings indicate that Brevundimonas diminuta can be used for the bioremediation of TMs-contaminated aquatic environments.

Insights into the mechanism of Mn(II)-based autotrophic denitrification: Performance, genomic, and metabonomics.

The technologies for groundwater nitrate pollution treatment have drawn increasing global attention. As for autotrophic denitrification (AD), most researches aimed to the mixed microbial culture bioreactors, the mechanism of AD by purely cultured bacteria has not been fully investigated yet. Here, denitrification ability, bacterial activity, and dissolved organic matter evolution of Cupriavidus sp. HY129 in both AD and heterotrophic denitrification (HD) were studied. Genomic analysis and microbial metabolomic analysis were applied to explore the mechanism of AD and the difference and intrinsic factors in AD and HD. The results revealed that HD resulted in higher denitrification efficiency and biomass compared to AD and the bacteria preferred to synthesize humic-like proteins to maintain the progress of AD. Bacteria carry out Mn oxidation outside the bacteria cell and transfer electrons into the cell for AD. Cupriavidus sp. HY129 genome has critical metabolic pathways in both autotrophic and heterotrophic conditions, as well as the MCO gene for mediating the Mn oxidation. Energy metabolism pathways were the most significantly differences between AD and HD. Moreover, sphingolipid metabolism and mineral absorption metabolism were the most essential pathways in the autotrophic process to maintain the normal physiological activities and Mn transfer. The results explored the differences between AD and HD pathways in the same bacteria for the first time and provided new insight into understanding the metabolic characteristics of different denitrification, which provide useful information to the global nitrogen cycle and nitrate pollution treatment.

Simultaneous removal of nitrate, manganese, and tetracycline by Zoogloea sp. MFQ7: Adsorption mechanism of tetracycline by biological precipitation.

A Mn(II) oxidizing-denitrifying and tetracycline (TC) removal bacterium Zoogloea sp. MFQ7 was isolated in this study. Nitrogen removal was 83.49% by nitrogen balance experiment. The maximum removal efficiencies of nitrate, Mn(II), and TC by strain MFQ7 within 96 h was 100.00, 74.56, and 63.59% at C/N of 2.0, pH of 7.0, Mn(II) of 20 mg L-1, temperature of 30.0 °C, and TC of 0.2 mg L-1. SEM illustrated that biogenic manganese oxides (BMO) was petal-like, XRD and XPS analyses confirmed that MnO2 was the main component of BMO. Besides, the maximum adsorption capacity of BMO for TC was 52.21 mg g-1. FTIR detected the changes in TC adsorption by BMO. Pseudo-second-order model (R2 = 0.994) explained the adsorption kinetics of TC on BMO and Langmuir isotherm model (R2 = 0.983) suggested that it was homogeneous adsorption, thermodynamics data (ΔG < 0, ΔH = 18.31 kJ mol-1, ΔS = 72.8 J (mol*K)-1) confirmed that adsorption was endothermic and spontaneous.

Efficient removal of nitrate, manganese, and tetracycline by a polyvinyl alcohol/sodium alginate with sponge cube immobilized bioreactor.

The co-existence of nitrate, manganese (Mn), and antibiotics are of a wide concern. In this study, a denitrifying and manganese-oxidizing Zoogloea Q7 bacterium was immobilized using polyvinyl alcohol/sodium alginate with sponge cube (PVA/SA@sponge cube) in the reactor. The optimal operation parameters of the bioreactor were explored. Maximum nitrate, Mn(II), and tetracycline (TC) removal efficiencies of 93.00, 72.34, and 57.32% were achieved with HRT of 10 h, pH of 6.5, Mn(II) concentration of 20 mg L-1, and TC of 1 mg L-1, respectively. Fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM) proved that the microorganism in the bioreactor was greatly active. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images demonstrated that Zoogloea Q7 was commendably immobilized on the novel material. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis suggested that the bioprecipitate was mainly composed of MnO2 and MnCO3. Through high-throughput analysis, Zoogloea sp. Q7 was considered to be the dominant bacteria present in the bioreactor.

Characterization and mechanism of Mn(II)-based mixotrophic denitrifying bacterium (Cupriavidus sp. HY129) in remediation of nitrate (NO3--N) and manganese (Mn(II)) contaminated groundwater.

The co-contamination of groundwater with nitrate (NO3--N) and manganese (Mn(II)) is a global issue that needs to be efficiently remediated. In this research, a novel denitrifying and manganese-oxidizing strain HY129 was isolated from the sediments sample of a drinking water and identified as Cupriavidus sp. HY129. The remediation ability of strain HY129 regarding the nitrate and Mn(II) pollution were investigated. The removal efficiency of nitrate and Mn(II) were 99.81% (0.229 mgL-1 h-1) and 87.24% (0.233 mgL-1 h-1) in bacterial culture after 72 h, respectively. Moreover, the addition of Mn(II) significantly enhanced the denitrification process, while excessive concentration of Mn(II) caused more NO2--N accumulation. The impacts of adsorption and oxidation activity on Mn(II) removal were investigated. Protein in extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) which produced in the Mn-oxidizing process was speculated to be the main cause of extracellular adsorption of Mn(II). Characterization of biogenic manganese oxides (BMO) confirmed the formation of high-valent manganese and the trapping experiment with sodium pyrophosphate (NaPP) demonstrated the existence of Mn(III)-intermediates. Furthermore, multicopper oxidase gene amplification provided evidence for the molecular biology of Mn(II) oxidation by strain HY129.

CTHRC1 in Ovarian Cancer Promotes M2-Like Polarization of Tumor-Associated Macrophages via Regulation of the STAT6 Signaling Pathway.

PURPOSE: The infiltration of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) facilitates the progression of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). TAMs are mainly M2-like due to exposure to various factors in the tumor microenvironment. In our previous study, we reported that collagen triple helix repeat containing 1(CTHRC1), a secreted protein, is associated with ovarian cancer progression and metastasis. However, the correlation between CTHRC1 and the immunological microenvironment in EOC remains unknown. METHODS: The association with the expression of CTHRC1 and CD68+CD163+ TAMs infiltration density and phosphorylation of STAT6 was analyzed in tumor tissues of ovarian cancer patients by immunohistochemistry. Western blot and flow cytometry analysis were used to analyze M2-like macrophage polarization induced by CTHRC1. Cell Counting Kit-8 and adhesion assays were used to detect cell proliferation and adhesion, respectively. Cell migration and invasion were detected using transwell assays. RESULTS: In the present study, we observed that the overexpression of CTHRC1 and increased TAMs infiltration density are closely correlated to an advanced stage of EOC. Meanwhile, CTHRC1 expression was positively associated with the infiltration density of M2-like CD68+CD163+TAMs and phosphorylation of STAT6 in EOC. In human PBMC-derived monocytes, recombinant CTHRC1 protein (rCTHRC1) induces an M2-like macrophage phenotype, in a dose-dependent manner, characterized by activating the STAT6 signaling pathway. The conditioned culture medium of Lenti-CTHRC1 EOC cells promoted M2 polarization of macrophages, and by contrast, CTHRC1 knockdown abolished STAT6-mediated M2 polarization of macrophages. Moreover, the culture supernatants of rCTHRC1-treated macrophages efficiently increased the migration and invasion abilities of ovarian cancer cells. CONCLUSION: Our data indicate that CTHRC1 might play an important role in regulating M2 polarization of macrophages in the ovarian tumor microenvironment and suggest that it is a potential therapeutic target for antitumor immunity.

Removal of tetracycline by denitrifying Mn(II)-oxidizing bacterium Pseudomonas sp. H117 and biomaterials (BMO and MBMO): Efficiency and mechanisms.

Coexistence of multiple pollutants such as antibiotic, nitrate and heavy metal has received increasing attention resently. In this study, the functions of Pseudomonas sp.H117 on the removal of tetracycline(TC), nitrate and Mn(II), and biological materials (BMO(biogenic manganese oxides), MBMO(magnetic BMO)) on the removal of TC were investigated. Strain H117 showed higher TC removal efficiency of 68.86% (0.071 mg·L-1·h-1) within 96 h. Meanwhile, NO3-N and Mn(II) achieved high removal efficiency of 100% (0.211 mg·L-1·h-1) and 64.64% (0.265 mg·L-1·h-1), respectively. Furthermore, trapping experiments testified that Mn(III) intermediate formed during the biological manganese oxidation process, which contribute to the TC degradation. 91.29% and 96.63% of TC removal efficiency within 12 h were achieved by BMO and MBMO. Moreover, XPS, FTIR spectra, kinetics analysis and adsorption isotherms elucidated Mn(III) oxidation, chemical adsorption and ligand exchange reactions contribute to the removal of TC by biomaterials.