Promoting strategies for biological stability in drinking water distribution system from the perspective of micro-nano bubbles.

Microorganisms thriving in drinking water distribution system (DWDS) reduces biological stability of water, causing numerous threats to residents' drinking water safety. Traditional disinfection methods have intrinsic drawbacks, including microbial reactivation and byproduct formation, leading to waterborne diseases. Thus, effective disinfection techniques are required to ensure the microorganism's inactivation and enhance biological stability. Micro-nano bubbles (MNB) provide a promising result to these issues. This study simulates the hydraulic conditions of the tank of DWDS to investigate the enhancement of biological stability in the tank using MNBs with distinct gas sources. The analysis focused on water quality characteristics, biological stability indicators, and microbial community composition. The results showed that the dissolved gas method could generate abundant bubbles with a particle size below 1000 nm, with a concentration exceeding 106/mL in water. The particle size and Zeta potential of bubbles were crucial factors influencing in situ the ·OH generation; hence, the ·OH concentration was highly sensitive to changes in bubble size. In addition, MNBs inhibited the growth of target bacteria in water, degraded organic matter, and improved the biological stability of drinking water, reaching significant degradation rates for biodegradable dissolved organic carbon (42.74 %), assimilable organic carbon (49.49 %), and total bacteria (51.32 %). MNBs directly degraded organic matter in water by ·OH generation in situ, reducing the microbial nutrient source, thereby inhibiting microbial metabolism and activity, which induced optimum disinfection effects on Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and Planctomycetota in water. In particular, the proposed experiment achieved a 100 % disinfection rate for Acinetobacter in Proteobacteria, disrupting metabolic intermediate functions with the microbial community after MNB treatment. Therefore, this study has demonstrated the potential of MNBs to enhance the biological stability of drinking water, improve water quality, and ensure residents' water health, providing valuable technical support for drinking water safety.

Endobronchial Ultrasound-Based Support Vector Machine Model for Differentiating between Benign and Malignant Mediastinal and Hilar Lymph Nodes.

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the study was to establish an ultrasonographic radiomics machine learning model based on endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) to assist in diagnosing benign and malignant mediastinal and hilar lymph nodes (LNs). METHODS: The clinical and ultrasonographic image data of 197 patients were retrospectively analyzed. The radiomics features extracted by EBUS-based radiomics were analyzed by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator. Then, we used a support vector machine (SVM) algorithm to establish an EBUS-based radiomics model. A total of 205 lesions were randomly divided into training (n = 143) and validation (n = 62) groups. The diagnostic efficiency was evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. RESULTS: A total of 13 stable radiomics features with non-zero coefficients were selected. The SVM model exhibited promising performance in both groups. In the training group, the SVM model achieved an ROC area under the curve (AUC) of 0.892 (95% CI: 0.885-0.899), with an accuracy of 85.3%, sensitivity of 93.2%, and specificity of 79.8%. In the validation group, the SVM model had an ROC AUC of 0.906 (95% CI: 0.890-0.923), an accuracy of 74.2%, a sensitivity of 70.3%, and a specificity of 74.1%. CONCLUSION: The EBUS-based radiomics model can be used to differentiate mediastinal and hilar benign and malignant LNs. The SVM model demonstrated excellent potential as a diagnostic tool in clinical practice.

An Antibacterial Bionic Periosteum with Angiogenesis-Neurogenesis Coupling Effect for Bone Regeneration.

The periosteum, rich in neurovascular networks, bone progenitor cells, and stem cells, is vital for bone repair. Current artificial periosteal materials face challenges in mechanical strength, bacterial infection, and promoting osteogenic differentiation and angiogenesis. To address these issues, we adjusted the electrospinning ratio of poly-ε-caprolactone and chitosan and incorporated Zn doping whitlockite with polydopamine coating into a nanofiber membrane. After a series of characterizations, optimal results were achieved with a poly-ε-caprolactone: chitosan ratio of 8:1 and 5% nanoparticle content. In vitro cell experiments and in vivo calvarial defect models, the sustained release of Mg2+ and Ca2+ promoted vascularization and new bone formation, respectively, while the release of Zn2+ was conducive to antibacterial and cooperated with Mg2+ to promote neurovascularization. Consequently, this antibacterial bionic periosteum with an angiogenesis-neurogenesis coupling effect demonstrates a promising potential for bone repair applications.

Advances in the Treatment of Pulmonary Nodules.

BACKGROUND: Early detection and accurate diagnosis of pulmonary nodules are crucial for improving patient outcomes. While surgical resection of malignant nodules is still the preferred treatment option, it may not be feasible for all patients. We aimed to discuss the advances in the treatment of pulmonary nodules, especially stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and interventional pulmonology technologies, and provide a range of recommendations based on our expertise and experience. SUMMARY: Interventional pulmonology is an increasingly important approach for the management of pulmonary nodules. While more studies are needed to fully evaluate its long-term outcomes and benefits, the available evidence suggests that this technique can provide a minimally invasive and effective alternative for treating small malignancies in selected patients. We conducted a systematic literature review in PubMed, designed a framework to include the advances in surgery, SBRT, and interventional pulmonology for the treatment of pulmonary nodules, and provided a range of recommendations based on our expertise and experience. KEY MESSAGES: As such, alternative therapeutic options such as SBRT and ablation are becoming increasingly important and viable. With recent advancements in bronchoscopy techniques, ablation via bronchoscopy has emerged as a promising option for treating pulmonary nodules. This study reviewed the advances of interventional pulmonology in the treatment of peripheral lung cancer patients that are not surgical candidates. We also discussed the challenges and limitations associated with ablation, such as the risk of complications and the potential for incomplete nodule eradication. These advancements hold great promise for improving the efficacy and safety of interventional pulmonology in treating pulmonary nodules.