Study on the Behavior of Saturated Cardanol-Based Surfactants at the Crude Oil/Water Interface through Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

Cardanol is a green biosurfactant with broad application prospects, which is expected to be used to enhance oil recovery (EOR). This paper designed two types of surfactants (extended and nonextended), including six kinds of nonionic and anion-nonionic surfactants. The position changes of PO and EO chains and the effects of different hydrophilic groups on the interface properties were studied with molecular dynamics simulations by constructing a model of crude oil (containing four components) and water molecules. The results of interfacial tension and solvent-accessible surface area showed that the interfacial properties of sulfate were better than those of sulfonates and nonionic surfactants. Meanwhile, the interface properties of nonextended surfactants were better than those of extended surfactants. The gyration radius (Rg) and tilt angle data demonstrated that when EO chains were located between hydrophobic groups and PO chains (nonextended surfactants), the adsorption capacity of surfactants at crude oil and water interfaces could be effectively improved. The radial distribution function of the hydrophilic group and hydrophobic group of surfactants with water molecules and four components of the crude oil molecule, respectively, explained that surfactants (8EO8POSO4) had better emulsification performance when the intermolecular interactions between crude oil and water two phases were relatively balanced. This study provides a theoretical reference for the design of oil-displacement surfactants and the mechanism analysis of emulsification properties.

Efficient capture of uranium by a hydroxyapatite-modified polyethyleneimine@carbon nanotube composite from radioactive nuclear waste.

The toxicity and radioactivity of uranium (U)-containing wastewater pose a serious threat to the environment of humans, animals, and plants. It is necessary to remove U from contaminated wastewater. With high adsorption capacity and fast adsorption rate, a composite CNT-P/HAP, which comprises carbon nanotubes (CNT) modified with polyethyleneimine (PEI), was functionalized further by hydroxyapatite (HAP) using the hydrothermal method. Adsorption experiments indicated that the optimal performance for CNT-P/HAP was 1330.64 mg g-1 of adsorption capacity and 40 min of adsorption equilibrium at a pH of 3. In addition, the adsorption capacity of CNT-P/HAP was over 2 times that of HAP at a pH of 7. The synergistic effect in both synthesis and adsorption gave CNT-P/HAP an excellent adsorption capacity for U. The XRD and FT-IR analysis indicated that the adsorption mechanism of CNT-P/HAP for U is decided by the pH of the solution. CNT-P/HAP could be used in multiple conditions to remediate U-containing wastewater.

Associations of social jetlag with depressive symptoms among adults in Southern China: a cross-sectional study.

To investigate the associations between social jetlag and depressive symptoms and further analyze the interaction of social jetlag and chronic diseases on depressive symptoms among adults. Data were derived from a cross-sectional survey. Information on social jetlag, depressive symptoms, demographic characteristics, lifestyles, and health situations were collected via a structured self-administered questionnaire. The multivariable logistic regression analyses and restricted cubic splines regression were performed to test the association between social jetlag and depressive symptoms. The multiplicative model was applied to analyze the interaction of social jetlag and chronic disease on depressive symptoms. A total of 5818 adults were included and the prevalence of social jetlag was 22.95%. After multivariable adjustment, adults who experienced more than 2 hours of social jetlag had a significantly greater risk of depressive symptoms (OR = 1.43,95%CI:1.00-2.05, P = 0.049). Compared with participants having<1 hour of social jetlag and no chronic disease, participants having chronic disease were more likely to report depressive symptoms(OR = 3.22,95%CI = 2.59-4.00, P < 0.001). Moreover, among those who have chronic disease, the greater the social jetlag they reported, the greater risk of depressive symptoms they have (OR = 3.81,95%CI = 2.77-5.33, P < 0.001; OR = 4.08,95%CI = 2.24-7.43, P < 0.001). Social jetlag was linearly associated the with risk of depressive symptoms, according to restricted cubic splines. This study shows that 22.95% adults experience more than 1 hour of social jetlag. Social jetlag was positively associated with an increased risk of depressive symptoms. Among those who have chronic disease, the greater the social jetlag they reported, the greater risk of depressive symptoms they have.

Association between triclocarban and triclosan exposures and the risks of type 2 diabetes mellitus and impaired glucose tolerance in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 2013-2014).

BACKGROUND: There has been increasing interest in the concept that exposure to environmental chemicals may be contributing factors to epidemics of diabetes mellitus (DM). Triclocarban and triclosan (TCs) are synthetic antibacterial chemicals that are widely used in personal care products. Studies have shown that TCs are endocrine disruptors that alter metabolic conditions. However, it remains unclear whether exposure to TCs is a risk factor for impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). OBJECTIVE: We explored the hypothesis that TCs exposure is associated with an increased risk of IGT and T2DM. METHOD: To test our hypothesis, we analyzed the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cross-sectional data from 2013 to 2014. IGT and T2DM were diagnosed based on an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and the WHO standards. The levels of urinary TCs were measured using an HPLC-MS/MS method that NHANES investigators developed. The association between urinary TCs status and IGT and T2DM was examined separately in men and women using multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for age, race, BMI, education, ratio of family income to poverty, smoking, exercise and hypertension. RESULTS: Nine hundred US participants (429 men and 471 women) were included in the analysis, of whom 242 (26.89%) were diagnosed with T2DM and 117 (13.00%) had IGT. Among women, there was a significant positive association between triclocarban, but not triclosan exposure and T2DM (OR: 1.79, 95% CI: 1.05, 2.05) after adjusting for potential confounding factors. Among men, no significant association between TCs exposure and IGT or T2DM was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Triclocarban exposure may increase the risk of T2DM in the women, although additional studies are needed to confirm the results of this study and to investigate the underlying mechanisms.

Association of Polymorphisms in miRNA Processing Genes With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Its Vascular Complications in a Southern Chinese Population.

Objective: To evaluate the potential association between the genetic variants in miRNA processing genes (RAN, XPO5, DICER1, and TARBP2) and susceptibility to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and its vascular complications, as well as to further investigate their interaction with environmental factors in type 2 diabetes. Methods: We conducted a case-control study in genotyping of five polymorphic loci, including RAN rs14035, XPO5 rs11077, DICER1 rs13078, DICER1 rs3742330, and TARBP2 rs784567, in miRNA processing genes to explore the risk factors for T2DM and diabetic vascular complications. Haplotype analyses, interactions of gene-gene and interactions of gene-environment were performed too. Results: We identified a 36% decreased risk of developing T2DM in individuals with the minor A allele in DICER1 rs13078 (OR: 0.64; 95%CI: 0.42-0.95; P: 0.026). The AA haplotype in DICER1 was also associated with a protective effect on T2DM compared with the AT haplotype (OR: 0.63; 95%CI: 0.42-0.94; P-value: 0.023). T2DM patients with the TT+TC genotype at RAN rs14035 had a 1.89-fold higher risk of developing macrovascular complications than patients with the CC genotype (OR: 1.89; 95%CI: 1.04-3.45; P-value: 0.037). We also identified two three-factor interaction models. One is a three-factor [DICER1 rs13078, body mass index (BMI), and triglyceride (TG)] interaction model for T2DM (OR: 5.93; 95%CI: 1.25-28.26; P = 0.025). Another three-factor [RAN rs14035, hypertension (HP), and duration of T2DM (DOD)] interaction model was found for macrovascular complications of T2DM (OR = 41.60, 95%CI = 11.75-147.35, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Our study provides new evidence that two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the miRNA processing genes, DICER1 and RAN, and their interactions with certain environmental factors might contribute to the risk of T2DM and its vascular complications in the southern Chinese population.

Toxoplasma gondii Cathepsin C1 inhibits NF-κB signalling through the positive regulation of the HIF-1α/EPO axis.

Toxoplasma gondii has evolved many successful strategies for immune evasion. However, the parasite-derived effectors involved in modulating NF-κB signalling pathway are largely unknown. T. gondii Cathepsin C1 (CPC1) is widely conserved among T. gondii strains and is important for T. gondii intracellular growth and proliferation. Our study showed that CPC1 protein could abrogate NF-κB activation after screening dense granule proteins. CPC1 suppressed NF-κB activation at or downstream of p65 and decreased the production of IL-1, IL-8, IL-6, IL-12, and TNF-α. Western blot analysis revealed that CPC1 inhibited phospho-p65 and CPC1 proteins primarily settled in cytoplasm. RNA sequencing analysis revealed that overexpression of CPC1 significantly upregulated erythropoietin (EPO), which can be induced by the hypoxia-inducible factor -1α (HIF-1α) during hypoxia. Furthermore, dual-luciferase reporter assays confirmed that CPC1 upregulated HIF-1α. Finally, both the knockdown of EPO and restriction of HIF-1α partially eliminated the suppression impact of CPC1 on the NF-κB signalling pathway. Our study identified a previously unrecognized role of CPC1 in the negative regulation of NF-κB activation through positive regulation of the HIF-1α/EPO axis. For the first time, CPC1 was shown to play an important role in immune evasion during T. gondii infection.