Qualitative discrimination and quantitative prediction of microplastics in ash based on near-infrared spectroscopy.

Microplastics are recognized as a new environmental pollutant. Researchers have detected their presence in waste incineration ash. However, traditional testing methods take a very long testing period. There is a lack of research on detecting microplastics in waste incineration ash. In this paper, a portable near-infrared spectra (NIRS) spectrometer was used for qualitative discrimination and quantitative prediction of microplastics in ash. A total of 84 sets of simulated ash samples containing different types (PP, PS, PE, and PVC) and contents (2.4 wt% - 20 wt%) of microplastics were used in the model. The results show the qualitative discrimination model using support vector machines (SVM) method with multiplicative scatter correction (MSC) preprocessing could effectively identify the microplastic types in the ash with 100% detection accuracy. Furthermore, the partial least squares regression (PLSR) model was effective in quantitatively predicting the content of microplastics in ash. The Rp2 of the PP, PS, PE, and PVC models are 0.95, 0.93, 0.89, and 0.95, respectively. The RPD of the PP, PS, PE, and PVC models are 3.97, 3.96, 2.89 and 5.02, respectively. This study shows that microplastics in ash can be detected rapidly and accurately using portable near-infrared spectrometers.

Influence of operating parameters on the yield of micro-plastics from plastics incineration.

Plastics account for a large proportion of domestic waste. However, micro-plastics will be produced after the plastic is incinerated. The purpose of this study is to find out the change rule of micro-plastics produced during incineration under different conditions. Combining micro-FTIR and PCA algorithm is a good tool to identify the micro-plastics. The PE, PP and PVC micro-plastics are distinguished using PCA-FTIR spectra. The results show different incineration conditions significantly affect the output of micro-plastics. The yield of micro-plastics increases with increasing temperature for both PP and PVC. And the yield of micro-plastics decreases with the increase in flow rate. The maximum amount of micro-plastics is produced by PE, which is 6.62 × 103 after 1 g PE incineration. The yield of micro-plastics in the co-incineration of PE and PP, as well as PE and PVC, significantly increased to 1.42 and 1.89 times of the calculated values, respectively. The nano-particles are also observed. The FTIR and EDS results show that the nano-particles are the products of incineration of plastics, including partly CH bond and unburned carbon, tar and ash.

Genomic profiling of non-small cell lung cancer with the rare pulmonary lymphangitic carcinomatosis and clinical outcome of the exploratory anlotinib treatment.

Background: To evaluate the potential treatment for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and rare malignant pulmonary lymphangitis carcinomatosis (PLC), our study provided a genomic profile and clinical outcome of this group of patients. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed patients with NSCLC who developed PLC. The genomic alterations, tumor mutation burden (TMB), and microsatellite instability (MSI) based on DNA-based next-generation sequencing were reviewed and compared in a Chinese population with lung adenocarcinomas (Chinese-LUAD cohort). Clinical outcomes after exploratory anlotinib treatment and factors influencing survival are summarized. Results: A total of 564 patients with stage IV NSCLC were reviewed, and 39 patients with PLC were included. Genomic profiling of 17 adenocarcinoma patients with PLC (PLC-LUAD cohort) revealed TP53, EGFR, and LRP1B as the three most frequently altered genes. EGFR was less mutated in PLC-LUAD than Chinese-LUAD cohort of 778 patients (35.3% vs. 60.9%, P = 0.043). BRIP1 was mutated more often in the PLC-LUAD cohort (11.8% vs. 1.8%, P= 0.043). Two patients presented with high tumor mutational burden (TMB-H, 10 mutations/MB). Combing alterations in the patient with squamous cell carcinoma, the most altered pathways of PLC included cell cycle/DNA damage, chromatin modification, the RTK/Ras/MAPK pathway and VEGF signaling changes. Fourteen of the participants received anlotinib treatment. The ORR and DCR were 57.1% and 92.9%, respectively. Patients achieved a median progression-free survival of 4.9 months and a median overall survival of 7 months. The adverse effects were manageable. In patients with adenocarcinoma, the mPFS (5.3 months vs. 2.6 months) and mOS (9.9 months vs. 4.5 months) were prolonged in patients receiving anlotinib treatment compared to those receiving other treatment strategies (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Patients with PLC in NSCLC demonstrated distinct genetic alterations. The results improve our understanding of the plausible genetic underpinnings of tumorigenesis in PLC and potential treatment strategies. Exploratory anlotinib treatment achieved considerable benefits and demonstrated manageable safety.

Echinacoside Induces Mitochondria-Mediated Pyroptosis through Raf/MEK/ERK Signaling in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Cells.

Background: Various natural compounds are effective in cancer prevention and treatment with fewer side effects than conventional radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Considering the uncertainty of the antitumor mechanism of Echinacoside (Ech) and the fact that no study on Ech against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been explored previously, this study inquired into the anti-NSCLC effect of Ech and explored its potential mechanisms. Methods: The IC50 to Ech of the NSCLC cells was calculated based on a series of cell viability assays. Different concentrations of Ech were used to treat the cells; the proliferation activity of the cells was evaluated using EdU staining. Mitochondrial membrane potential was detected by JC-1 staining. Levels of cytokines IL-1ß and IL-18 were measured by ELISA. GSH and MDA levels were measured by microplate reader. Expression of cytochrome c, NLRP3, caspase-1, IL-1ß, c-Myc, c-Fos, and Raf/MEK/ERK pathway proteins was evaluated by western blot. Meanwhile, we used xenograft, immunohistochemical staining, and H&E staining to evaluate the pharmacological effects of Ech in mice in vivo. Results: ECH inhibited the proliferation of NSCLC cells. Ech increased the expression of pyroptosis-related proteins. Besides, Ech perturbed the mitochondrial membrane potential with the release of mitochondrial cytochrome c, accompanied by increased oxidative stress. Ech inhibited the phosphorylation levels of Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway and subsequently reduced c-myc and c-fos protein expression. In addition, Ech effectively restrained the growth of tumors in vivo. Conclusions: Ech inhibited the Raf/MEK/ERK signaling. Impaired mitochondria activated inflammasome, which in turn led to the pyroptosis of NSCLC cells. These findings can provide some ideas on how to use pyroptosis to treat NSCLC.

Efficacy of Atorvastatin Plus Conventional Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs on Disease Activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

METHODS: We queried the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and the CENTRAL (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) databases for this study. The pooled efficacy was evaluated using standardized mean differences. The inverse of the variance model was used for data pooling. RESULTS: Based on the search, we identified 9 randomized controlled trials. The trials included 258 patients in the atorvastatin plus DMARD groups and 246 patients in the DMARD alone groups. The primary outcome was the change from baseline in the 2018 (209:228 Disease Activity Score in 28 Joints). Based on the Disease Activity Score in 28 Joints, disease activity in RA patients decreased significantly in patients given atorvastatin plus DMARD compared with patients given DMARD alone (standardized mean difference, -2.46; 95% confidence interval, -3.98 to -0.95; p = 0.0015; I2 = 97%; p < 0.01). Subgroup analysis did not identify any confounding factors, and no publication bias was detected in the meta-analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The result supports that atorvastatin could be added to DMARDs to treat patients with RA.

Design and Evaluation of a Metal-Supported Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Vehicle Power System with Bioethanol Onboard Reforming.

A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) has wide stationary and mobile application prospects due to its high efficiency and fuel flexibility. The SOFC system's performance depends on the reforming option and system design. In this paper, we designed a novel SOFC auxiliary power unit (APU) system with ethanol on-board reforming aiming at vehicle application. The thermodynamic analysis is employed to evaluate the ethanol-fueled SOFC performance of different reforming options with a metal-supported SOFC working at 600 °C and a 0.3 A/cm2 current density. The electrical efficiency of the SOFC can reach a maximum of 50% with ethanol autothermal reforming. Under the optimal reforming option and operating conditions, the conceptual SOFC-APU system design is identified with the trade-off between system efficiency and ethanol flow from the startup and stable operation phase. The results show that the system efficiency of 44.4% can be achieved with a 0.42 g/s ethanol flow at the startup phase. During the stable operation, the electrical efficiency and exergy efficiency of the SOFC-APU system can reach 55.4 and 77.1% with a 70% anode gas recirculation ratio, respectively.

CHML targeted by miR-199a-3p promotes non-small cell lung cancer cell growth via binding to Rab5A.

Choroideremia-like (CHML) has been demonstrated to be related to the development of urothelial carcinoma, multiple myeloma, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Whereas, the association between CHML and lung cancer remains dimness. CHML expression was analyzed in NSCLC patients from TCGA dataset and evaluated in our collected NSCLC tissues and NSCLC cell lines. The effects of CHML on the proliferation and apoptosis of NSCLC were investigated in A549 and H1299 cells that downregulation of CHML as well as in H1299-induced xenograft mouse model. An upstream miRNA of CHML was further analyzed. Moreover, bioinformatics analysis and co-immunoprecipitation assay were carried out to explore the mechanism of CHML in NSCLC. We found CHML expression was upregulated in NSCLC patients and cell lines compared with their controls. Knockdown of CHML suppressed the viability and BrdU-positive cell number, and elevated the proportion of Tunel-positive cells and levels of Bax/Bcl-2 and cleaved-caspase-3 in NSCLC cells. In mouse models, downregulation of CHML decreased tumor volume and weight, attenuated Ki-67 staining, whereas elevated numbers of Tunel-positive cells, and upregulated levels of Bax/Bcl-2 and cleaved-caspase-3. CHML was demonstrated to be a target of miR-199a-3p. miR-199a-3p inhibitor significantly promoted the proliferation, and attenuated the apoptosis of H1299 cells, which were abrogated by CHML silencing. CHML promoted the proliferation of NSCLC cells via directly binding to Rab5A. Taken together, this study revealed that CHML was an oncogene in NSCLC and it could promote the proliferation and inhibit apoptosis of NSCLC cells through binding to Rab5A. CHML was targeted by miR-199a-3p in this cancer.

A novel pyroptosis-related lncRNA signature for prognostic prediction in patients with lung adenocarcinoma.

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) has been the major cause of tumor-associated mortality in recent years and has a poor prognosis. Pyroptosis is regulated via the activation of inflammasomes and participates in tumorigenesis. However, the effects of pyroptosis-related lncRNAs (PRlncRNAs) on LUAD have not yet been completely elucidated. Therefore, we attempted to systematically explore patterns of cell pyroptosis to establish a novel signature for predicting LUAD survival. Based on TCGA database, we set up a prognostic model by incorporating PRlncRNAs with differential expression using Cox regression and LASSO regression. Kaplan-Meier analysis was conducted to compare the survival of LUAD patients. We further simplified the risk model and created a nomogram to enhance the prediction of LUAD prognosis. Altogether, 84 PRlncRNAs with differential expression were discovered. Subsequently, a new risk model was constructed based on five PRlncRNAs, GSEC, FAM83A-AS1, AL606489.1, AL034397.3 and AC010980.2. The proposed signature exhibited good performance in prognostic prediction and was related to immunocyte infiltration. The nomogram exactly forecasted the overall survival of patients and had excellent clinical utility. In the present study, the five-lncRNA prognostic risk signature and nomogram are trustworthy and effective indicators for predicting the prognosis of LUAD.

Effect of additives on melting temperature and energy consumption of municipal solid waste incineration fly ash.

This paper presents the melting temperature (MT) and energy consumption (EC) of model municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash (FA) under the influence of calcium oxide (CaO), silicon dioxide (SiO2), aluminium oxide (Al2O3) and boron oxide (B2O3) based on thermochemistry simulations. Nine different base-to-acid ratios (B/A) of raw FA have been explored. The results show that the effects of CaO, SiO2 and Al2O3 vary for different B/A ranges. SiO2 and Al2O3 play positive roles in decreasing the MT and EC of FA4-FA9 with high B/A (B/A: 2.61, 4.48, 6.43, 6.90, 8.32, 8.82). CaO plays a positive role in decreasing the MT and EC of FA1 and FA2 with low B/A (B/A: 0.22, 0.43). In FA3 (B/A: 1.22), the MT and EC of FA cannot be reduced by adding CaO, SiO2 and Al2O3. The addition of B2O3 cannot only further reduce the MT of FA, but also reduce the EC. B2O3 and SiO2 can work together to reduce the MT and EC when B/A is high (2.61-8.82), and SiO2 and B2O3 can be introduced into the FA by adding waste glass and other boron containing waste to realize the coordinated disposal of waste.

CaO-Assisted Alkaline Liquid Waste Drives Corn Stalk Chemical Looping Gasification for Hydrogen Production.

The chemical looping gasification (CLG) process is a promising pathway to produce hydrogen-enriched syngas with biomass. It is urgent to enhance the reactivity and thermal stability of oxygen carriers (OC) and capture the inherently separated CO2. This work presents the strategy of simultaneous modification of a Fe2O3/Al2O3 oxygen carrier and the supplement of an oxidant for corn stalk chemical looping gasification by introducing KNO3-containing ethanol liquid waste. CaO is employed to capture the generated CO2 and promote the reaction balance toward hydrogen production in a fuel reactor (FR). The highest carbon conversion reaction rate of 1.1 × 10-4 mol/g could be obtained at the ratio of CaO to fuel carbon and the reaction temperature of 1.5 and 600 °C, respectively. The kinetics and thermodynamics analyses under the optimized condition are further discussed to verify the possibility and high efficiency of using alkaline organic liquid waste to boost solid fuel gasification for hydrogen production. This CLG strategy shows multifunctional merits, including organic liquid waste treatment, biomass CLG promotion, and hydrogen production enhancement.

Analysis and Prediction of Corrosion of Refractory Materials by Sodium Salts during Waste Liquid Incineration-Thermodynamic Study.

Incineration of high-content sodium salt organic waste liquid will corrode the refractory material in the incinerator, causing the refractory material to peel off and be damaged. A thermodynamics method was used to study the thermodynamic properties of three common sodium salts (NaCl, Na2CO3 and Na2SO4) on the corrosion of refractory materials (MgO·Cr2O3, MgO·Al2O3, Al2O3, MgO and Cr2O3). The results determined that MgO has the best corrosion resistance and is not corroded by the three sodium salts. On this basis, the thermodynamic corrosion experiments of NaCl corrosion of magnesium oxide at three temperatures of 600, 1000 and 1200 °C were carried out. Analysis of the corrosion product by X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed no corrosion product formation. Studies have shown that thermodynamic calculation can accurately predict the thermodynamic mechanism of alkali metal corrosion to refractory materials, and MgO is a good anti-alkali metal corrosion refractory material.

Serum lncRNA HAND2-AS1 is downregulated in diabetic patients with chronic renal failure and ameliorates cell apoptosis.

BACKGROUND: LncRNA HAND2-AS1 has been reported to be a tumor suppressor in several types of malignancy, while its involvement in other human diseases is unclear. Our preliminary RNA-seq analysis revealed the downregulation of lncRNA HAND2-AS1 in diabetic patients with chronic renal failure, indicating the involvement of lncRNA HAND2-AS1 in this disease. This study was therefore carried out to explore the role of lncRNA HAND2-AS1 in the development of chronic renal failure in diabetic patients. METHODS: Mouse podocyte cells and plasma samples of diabetic patients (46 diabetic patients with chronic renal failure, 38 diabetic patients without obvious complications and 42 healthy volunteers) were used in this study. Cell apoptosis assay and PCR were performed. RESULTS: LncRNA HAND2-AS1 was downregulated in diabetic patients with chronic renal failure but not in diabetic patients without obvious complications. Downregulation of lncRNA HAND2-AS1 distinguished diabetic patients with chronic renal failure from diabetic patients and healthy controls. High glucose environment did not affect the expression of lncRNA HAND2-AS1 in mouse podocyte cells. Overexpression of lncRNA HAND2-AS1 inhibited the apoptosis of mouse podocyte cells under high glucose treatment. CONCLUSIONS: We therefore conclude that lncRNA HAND2-AS1 may participate in the development of chronic renal failure in diabetic patients by regulating cell apoptosis.

12-Lipoxygenase as a key pharmacological target in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy.

The characteristic features of diabetic nephropathy include thickening of the glomerular basement membranes, expansion of mesangium, and appearance of albumin in the urine (microalbuminuria and macroalbuminuria). Experimental studies have documented that 12-lipoxygenase (12-LOX) and its metabolite 12(S)-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (HETE) play an important role in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy. 12(S)-HETE may work in association with angiotensin II and transforming growth factor- ß (TGF-ß) reciprocally to induce fibrotic changes in the diabetic kidneys. The fibrotic actions of angiotensin II on the kidneys are mediated indirectly through an increase in the synthesis of 12(S)-HETE. Conversely, 12(S)-HETE may also enhance the actions of angiotensin II by upregulating the expression of AT1 receptors on the glomerulus, mesangium, and podocytes. 12(S)-HETE may also cross-talk with TGF-ß in a reciprocal manner to induce the fibrotic changes in the diabetic kidney. 12(S)-HETE-triggered signaling pathways may involve activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein (p38MAP) kinase, increase in cAMP-responsive element-binding protein (CREB) transcriptional activity, epigenetic changes involving histone methylation through an increase in histone methyltransferase activity along with an upregulation of cyclin-kinase inhibitors including, p16, p21, and p27. The present review discusses the role of 12-LOX in the pathogenesis of diabetic nephropathy along with the possible mechanisms.

Vitrification of municipal solid waste incineration fly ash with B2O3 as a fluxing agent.

In this paper, B2O3 was used as a fluxing agent to reduce the melting temperature of municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash and promote the glassy phase formation. Ash fusion temperature (AFT) test, atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), X-ray diffraction(XRD), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and thermodynamic calculation were carried out. The results showed that the flow temperature decreased from 1211 °C to 986 °C with an increase in the B2O3 content from 0 to 15 wt%. The melting slag lead to a decrease in the surface area and an increase in the mass transfer resistance of heavy metals. Thus, the agglomeration of the fly ash particles became easier with the reduced viscosity of the liquid slag. The volatilization of Pb, Cd and Zn in fly ash was inhibited. The leaching behavior of heavy metals was evaluated, the results indicated that Zn and Cu were stable whereas the Pb and Cd were soluble in glassy slag.

Silencing stomatin-like protein 2 attenuates tumor progression and inflammatory response through repressing CD14 in liver cancer.

PURPOSE: Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is involved in the inflammation in liver cancer. High-expressed stomatin-like protein 2 (SLP-2) is commonly reported in many cancer types. This study aims to investigate the functions of SLP-2 in TLR4-mediated inflammatory responses and tumor progression of liver cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Plasmid transfection technique was applied to silence and overexpress genes. Changes in cell viability and apoptosis were determined by performing cell counting kit-8 assay and flow cytometry. The levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines were determined by ELISA. We further measured the several types of the malignant transformation of SK-Hep1 cells to assess the effects of SLP-2 silencing on the cell migration and invasion, proliferation and angiogenesis of liver cancer in vitro. Western blot and RT-qPCR were performed for expression analysis. RESULTS: Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) promoted the cell proliferation of SK-Hep1 and production of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and IL-6. SLP-2 silencing could inhibit the protein and mRNA levels of CD14 and Cdc42 and subsequently inhibited the levels of TNF-α and IL-6. Overexpressed CD14 not only remarkably reversed the proapoptotic ability of SLP-2 silencing and promoted the expression of Cdc42 and production of TNF-α and IL-6, but also notably reversed the inhibitory effects on the malignant abilities of SK-Hep1 cells by SLP-2 silencing. CONCLUSION: SLP-2 silencing could significantly attenuate the inflammatory responses and tumor progression of liver cancer via inhibiting LPS/TLR4 signal transduction through the repression of CD14.

Pathological spectrum of glomerular disease in patients with renal insufficiency: a single-center study in Northeastern China.

Background: To investigate the pathological spectrum of glomerular disease in patients with renal insufficiency (RI) from 2008 to 2017. Methods and results: We calculated the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) with the Chronic Kidney Disease Epidemiology Collaboration creatinine (CKD-EPI) equation and defined RI as an eGFR <60 ml/min/1.73 m2. A total of 969 RI patients were included in our study. IgA nephropathy (IgAN) was the most common subtype of primary glomerulonephritis (37.2%). The frequencies of IgAN and non-IgA mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis decreased from 27.3% and 9.5% during 2008-2012 to 20.7% and 2.6% during 2013-2017, respectively. However, the frequency of membranous nephropathy increased from 6.8% to 16.2%. Lupus nephritis was the most common subtype of secondary glomerulonephritis (32.1%). The frequencies of both ANCA-associated systemic vasculitis and diabetic nephropathy increased from 3.8% to 7.6% and from 4.3% to 7.6%, respectively. The number of elderly patients (≥60 years) in our study increased sharply, from 15.6% in 2008 to 35.0% in 2017. Membranous nephropathy, minimal change disease, membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, lupus nephritis and renal amyloidosis are more frequently observed in the elderly patients than in nonelderly patients (<60 years) (p < .05). Excluding those with acute kidney injury, IgAN was the leading cause of RI (24.9%), followed by membranous nephropathy (13.3%) and lupus nephritis (12.0%). Conclusions: IgAN and lupus nephritis were the most prevalent primary glomerulonephritis and secondary glomerulonephritis in patients with RI, respectively. The frequencies of membranous nephropathy, ANCA-associated systemic vasculitis and diabetic nephropathy increased significantly. The number of elderly patients with RI increased sharply.

MicroRNA-134-5p Regulates Media Degeneration through Inhibiting VSMC Phenotypic Switch and Migration in Thoracic Aortic Dissection.

Abnormal phenotypic switch, migration, and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are hallmarks for pathogenesis of thoracic aortic dissection (TAD). In the current study, we identified miR-134-5p as a critical regulator controlling human VSMC phenotypic switch and migration to investigate whether miR-134-5p affects human VSMC functions and development of TAD. Using miRNA microarray of aorta specimens from 12 TAD and 12 controls, we identified miR-134-5p, which was significantly downregulated in TAD tissues. With qPCR detection, we found that miR-134-5p was also evidently decreased in human AoSMCs. Ectopic expression of miR-134-5p obviously promoted VSMC differentiation and expression of contractile markers, such as α-SMA, SM22α, and MYH11. miR-134-5p potently inhibited PDGF-BB-induced VSMC phenotypic switch and migration. We further identified STAT5B and ITGB1 as downstream targets of miR-134-5p in human VSMCs and proved them to be mediators in VSMC phenotypic switch and progression of TAD. Finally, Ad-miR-134-5p obviously suppressed the aorta dilatation and vascular media degeneration by 39% in TAD mice after vascular injury induced by Ang II. Our findings revealed that miR-134-5p was a novel regulator in vascular remodeling and pathological progress of TAD via targeting STAT5B/ITGB1 expression. Targeting miR-134-5p or its downstream molecules in VSMCs might develop new avenues in clinical treatment of TAD.

Clinical and Pathological Analysis of 4910 Patients Who Received Renal Biopsies at a Single Center in Northeast China.

PURPOSE: To identify the epidemiology and pathological types of kidney diseases and their changes during the past decade, in a population from Northeast China. METHODS: We retrospectively analysed clinical and renal pathological data from 4910 patients who received renal biopsies in the Second Hospital of Jilin University from 2008 to 2017. RESULTS: Males received more renal biopsies than females (p < 0.001). The average age (p < 0.001) and percentage of elderly patients (p < 0.001) increased over time. The pathological types were primary glomerulonephritis (PGN, 73.2%), secondary glomerulonephritis (SGN, 23.7%), tubular-interstitial nephropathy (TIN, 2.8%), and hereditary nephropathy (HN, 0.3%). The most common forms of PGN were membranous nephropathy (MN, 37.2%) and IgA nephropathy (IgAN, 29.9%). Over time, the prevalence of IgAN decreased, but the prevalence of MN increased. MN was more common in middle-aged and elderly patients, but IgAN was most common in young adults. Analysis of SGN data indicated that lupus nephritis (LN, 34.0%), Henoch-Schönlein purpura glomerulonephritis (HSPN, 17.9%), and diabetic nephropathy (DN, 11.7%) were the most common forms. Over time, the prevalence of DN (p = 0.003), hypertension-associated renal damage (p = 0.005), and systemic vasculitis-associated nephritis (SVARD, p < 0.001) increased, but the prevalence of HSPN (p < 0.001) and hepatitis B virus-associated glomerulonephritis (HBV-GN, p = 0.001) decreased. Nephrotic syndrome was the main clinical manifestation of PGN. CONCLUSION: From 2008 to 2017, renal biopsies were increasingly performed in the elderly. There were notable changes in the epidemiology and pathological types of kidney disease among renal biopsy patients at our centre.

Interaction between Acetic Acid and Glycerol: A Model for Secondary Reactions during Holocellulose Pyrolysis.

During pyrolysis of holocellulose, secondary reactions of the primary pyrolytic products inevitably occur, affecting the final pyrolytic product distribution. Carboxylic acids from primary pyrolysis process have significant interaction effects on both holocellulose and its pyrolytic products, whereas, the interaction mechanisms are still unclear. In the present study, acetic acid is selected as the typical carboxylic acid product, and glycerol is selected to represent the various hydroxyl-based compounds (both holocellulose and pyrolytic products such as anhydrosugars, etc.). The density functional theory (DFT) method is adopted to investigate the interaction mechanisms between them. Calculation results indicate that acetic acid and glycerol have strong interactions, with acetic acid acting as a catalyst for these interactions in two patterns. (I) Acetic acid enhances the dehydration reactions of glycerol with low energy barriers. (II) Acetic acid and glycerol undergo esterification to form an ester intermediate which then decomposes via various reactions. In addition, the decomposition of acetic acid can also be promoted by the catalysis of glycerol in a certain degree. This study reveals the basic interaction mechanisms between carboxylic acids and hydroxyl-based compounds, providing fundamental information to understand the secondary reactions during pyrolysis of holocellulose.

Analysis and Prediction of Corrosion of Refractory Materials by Potassium during Biomass Combustion-Thermodynamic Study.

As a kind of renewable resource, biomass has been used more and more widely, but the potassium contained in biomass can cause corrosion of the refractory. For a better understanding of corrosion thermodynamic mechanisms, the five components of common refractory materials (magnesium chrome spinel MgO·Cr2O3, magnesium aluminum spinel MgO·Al2O3, Al2O3, MgO, and Cr2O3) with potassium salts (K2CO3, K2SO4, and KCl) under high-temperature were studied by using the FactSageTM 7.0 software. Thermodynamic calculation results indicate that MgO is the best corrosion resistance of the five components of refractory materials. Based on the obtained results, the corrosion experiments in the laboratory were carried out (muffle furnace or high-temperature tube furnace) for corrosion reaction of KCl and MgO. The chemical compositions of the corroded samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Under laboratory conditions (600⁻1200 °C), no corrosion products have been observed in the high-temperature corrosion experiments. The result indicates that to prevent the corrosion processes, refractories should contain as much MgO as possible.