Antioxidant Carbon Dots Nanozyme Loaded in Thermosensitive in situ Hydrogel System for Efficient Dry Eye Disease Treatment.

Purpose: Dry eye disease (DED) is a multifactorial ocular surface disease with a rising incidence. Therefore, it is urgent to construct a reliable and efficient drug delivery system for DED treatment. Methods: In this work, we loaded C-dots nanozyme into a thermosensitive in situ gel to create C-dots@Gel, presenting a promising composite ocular drug delivery system to manage DED. Results: This composite ocular drug delivery system (C-dots@Gel) demonstrated the ability to enhance adherence to the corneal surface and extend the ocular surface retention time, thereby enhancing bioavailability. Furthermore, no discernible ocular surface irritation or systemic toxicity was observed. In the DED mouse model induced by benzalkonium chloride (BAC), it was verified that C-dots@Gel effectively mitigated DED by stabilizing the tear film, prolonging tear secretion, repairing corneal surface damage, and augmenting the population of conjunctival goblet cells. Conclusion: Compared to conventional dosage forms (C-dots), the C-dots@Gel could prolong exhibited enhanced retention time on the ocular surface and increased bioavailability, resulting in a satisfactory therapeutic outcome for DED.

A Shortened Diagnostic Interval and Its Associated Clinical Factors and Related Outcomes in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients from a Cohort Study in China.

Aim: The diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) worldwide is complicated and results in diagnostic delay. However, the diagnostic interval of IBD and the factors associated with diagnostic delay in patients in China have not been determined. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed clinical data of hospitalized IBD patients in Peking Union Medical College Hospital from January 1998 to January 2018. Patients were divided into non-delayed and delayed groups according to their diagnostic interval. Results: A total of 516 and 848 patients were confirmed to have Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), respectively. The median diagnostic intervals were 6 and 20 months in patients with UC and CD, respectively (P<0.05). A decreasing trend in the diagnostic interval for IBD was observed over time, from 9 months to 1 month in UC patients and from 30 months to 3 months in CD patients. The longest diagnostic interval was 29.5 months in CD patients with first symptoms at the age of 51-60 years and 12.5 months in UC patients at the age of 41-50 years. In patients with CD, intestinal obstruction (OR=2.71), comorbid diabetes (OR=4.42), and appendectomy history (OR=2.18) were risk factors for diagnostic delay, whereas having fever as the first symptom may reduce its risk (OR=0.39). In patients with UC, the misdiagnosis of chronic enteritis (OR=2.10) was a risk factor for diagnostic delay. Conclusion: The diagnostic interval for IBD has decreased over the years. Some clinical manifestations, such as initial symptoms and age at symptom onset, may help to shorten this interval. Diseases such as tuberculosis and infectious enteritis should be considered during differentiation.

Activated carbon fibers functionalized with superhydrophilic coated pDA/TiO2/SiO2 with photoluminescent self-cleaning properties for efficient oil-water separation.

The adhesion of high-viscosity oil contamination poses limitations on three-dimensional (3D) materials' practical use in treating oilfield-produced water (OPW). In this study, we developed a hybrid pDA/TiO2/SiO2 coating (PTS) on the surface of hydrophilic activated carbon (ACF1) through a combination of dopamine (DA) polymerization, ethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) hydrolysis, and the condensation of TiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) with SiO2 NPs. This coating was designed for gravity-based oil-water separation. The inherent porosity and generous pore size of ACF1-PTS conferred it an ultra-high permeation flux (pure water flux of 3.72 × 105 L∙m-2∙h-1), allowing it to effectively separate simulated oil-water mixtures and oil-water emulsions while maintaining exceptional permeation flux and oil rejection efficiency. When compared to cleaning methods involving ethanol aqueous solutions and NaClO, ultraviolet (UV) illumination cleaning proved superior, enabling oil-contaminated ACF1-PTS to exhibit remarkable flux recovery efficiency and oil-removal capabilities during cyclic separation of actual OPW. Furthermore, the ACF1-PTS material demonstrated impressive stability and durability when exposed to acidic environments (acid, alkali, and salt), robust hydraulic washout conditions, and 25-cycle tests. This study offers valuable insights and research avenues for the development of highly efficient and environmentally friendly 3D oil-water separation materials for the actual treatment of OPW.

Clinical outcomes of stromal lenticule rotation to correct mixed astigmatism.

PURPOSE: To describe a stromal lenticule rotation surgical technique to correct mixed astigmatism and evaluate the initial clinical outcomes of this innovative approach. METHODS: This retrospective case series included five eyes from five patients with mixed astigmatism that underwent intrastromal lenticule rotation surgery. The eyes were evaluated for uncorrected visual acuity, corrected distance visual acuity, manifest refraction, central corneal thickness, corneal volume, anterior and posterior K readings, and corneal higher order aberrations (HOAs) (including total HOAs, spherical aberrations, coma, and trefoil) using the Scheimpflug-Placido topographer before and 3 months after surgery. The corneal epithelium and stroma were imaged using anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) postoperatively. A paired-sample t-test was used to analyse the data. RESULTS: Clinical improvement was found in the uncorrected distance visual acuity (0.64 ± 0.11 logMAR vs. 0.20 ± 0.17 logMAR) and spherical and cylindrical diopters (D) (+2.65 ± 1.32 D vs. -0.05 ± 0.51 D and -4.95 ± 0.94 D vs. -1.10 ± 0.78 D, respectively). Anterior flat keratometry readings showed a steep trend (40.65 ± 1.24 D vs. 42.73 ± 0.63 D). Anterior corneal astigmatism decreased from 4.50 ± 0.55 D to 2.05 ± 0.73 D. According to the AS-OCT images, no significant epithelial remodelling was observed postoperatively. Although no significant differences were found among the increased corneal HOAs, the coma and trefoil changed much more than spherical aberrations 3 months postoperatively. CONCLUSIONS: The results for these five eyes suggest that the autologous stromal lenticule rotation technique is safe and effective; it may be an economical and feasible surgical option for correcting mixed astigmatism.

Interaction analysis of high-risk pathological features on adjuvant chemotherapy survival benefit in stage II colon cancer patients: a multi-center, retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: We aimed to analyze the benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy in high-risk stage II colon cancer patients and the impact of high-risk factors on the prognostic effect of adjuvant chemotherapy. METHODS: This study is a multi-center, retrospective study, A total of 931 patients with stage II colon cancer who underwent curative surgery in 8 tertiary hospitals in China between 2016 and 2017 were enrolled in the study. Cox proportional hazard model was used to assess the risk factors of disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) and to test the multiplicative interaction of pathological factors and adjuvant chemotherapy (ACT). The additive interaction was presented using the relative excess risk due to interaction (RERI). The Subpopulation Treatment Effect Pattern Plot (STEPP) was utilized to assess the interaction of continuous variables on the ACT effect. RESULTS: A total of 931 stage II colon cancer patients were enrolled in this study, the median age was 63 years old (interquartile range: 54-72 years) and 565 (60.7%) patients were male. Younger patients (median age, 58 years vs 65 years; P < 0.001) and patients with the following high-risk features, such as T4 tumors (30.8% vs 7.8%; P < 0.001), grade 3 lesions (36.0% vs 22.7%; P < 0.001), lymphovascular invasion (22.1% vs 6.8%; P < 0.001) and perineural invasion (19.4% vs 13.6%; P = 0.031) were more likely to receive ACT. Patients with perineural invasion showed a worse OS and marginally worse DFS (hazardous ratio [HR] 2.166, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.282-3.660, P = 0.004; HR 1.583, 95% CI 0.985-2.545, P = 0.058, respectively). Computing the interaction on a multiplicative and additive scale revealed that there was a significant interaction between PNI and ACT in terms of DFS (HR for multiplicative interaction 0.196, p = 0.038; RERI, -1.996; 95%CI, -3.600 to -0.392) and OS (HR for multiplicative interaction 0.112, p = 0.042; RERI, -2.842; 95%CI, -4.959 to -0.725). CONCLUSIONS: Perineural invasion had prognostic value, and it could also influence the effect of ACT after curative surgery. However, other high-risk features showed no implication of efficacy for ACT in our study. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This study is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03794193 (04/01/2019).

Prognostic factors for the efficacy of infliximab in patients with luminal fistulizing Crohn's disease.

BACKGROUND: Enteric fistula is one of the penetrating features in Crohn's disease (CD). This study aimed to clarify the prognostic factors for the efficacy of infliximab (IFX) treatment in luminal fistulizing CD patients. METHODS: We retrospectively included 26 cases diagnosed with luminal fistulizing CD hospitalized in our medical center from 2013 to 2021. The primary outcome of our research was defined as death from all causes and undergoing of any relevant abdominal surgery. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were used to describe overall survival. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify prognostic factors. A predictive model was constructed using Cox proportional hazard model. RESULTS: The median follow-up time was 17.5 months (range 6-124 months). The 1- and 2-year surgery-free survival rates were 68.1% and 63.2%, respectively. In the univariate analysis, the efficacy of IFX treatment at 6 months after initiation (P < 0.001, HR 0.23, 95% CI 0.01-0.72) and the existence of complex fistula (P = 0.047, HR 4.11, 95% CI 1.01-16.71) was found significantly related to the overall surgery-free survival, while disease activity at baseline (P = 0.099) also showed predictive potential. The multivariate analysis showed that efficacy at 6 months (P = 0.010) was an independent prognostic factor. The C-index of the model for surgery-free survival was 0.923 (P < 0.001), indicating an acceptable predictive effect. CONCLUSION: Prognostic model including the existence of complex fistula, disease activity at baseline and efficacy of IFX at 6 months may be useful to predict long-term outcome of luminal fistulizing CD patients.

Achieving Record-High Photoelectrochemical Photoresponse Characteristics by Employing Co3O4 Nanoclusters as Hole Charging Layer for Underwater Optical Communication.

The physicochemical properties of a semiconductor surface, especially in low-dimensional nanostructures, determine the electrical and optical behavior of the devices. Thereby, the precise control of surface properties is a prerequisite for not only preserving the intrinsic material quality but also manipulating carrier transport behavior for promoting device characteristics. Here, we report a facile approach to suppress the photocorrosion effect while boosting the photoresponse performance of n-GaN nanowires in a constructed photoelectrochemical-type photodetector by employing Co3O4 nanoclusters as a hole charging layer. Essentially, the Co3O4 nanoclusters not only alleviate nanowires from corrosion by optimizing the oxygen evolution reaction kinetics at the nanowire/electrolyte interface but also facilitate an efficient photogenerated carrier separation, migration, and collection process, leading to a significant ease of photocurrent attenuation (improved by nearly 867% after Co3O4 decoration). Strikingly, a record-high responsivity of 217.2 mA W-1 with an ultrafast response/recovery time of 0.03/0.02 ms can also be achieved, demonstrating one of the best performances among the reported photoelectrochemical-type photodetectors, that ultimately allowed us to build an underwater optical communication system based on the proposed nanowire array for practical applications. This work provides a perspective for the rational design of stable nanostructures for various applications in photo- and biosensing or energy-harvesting nanosystems.

J Subgroup Avian Leukosis Virus Strain Promotes Cell Proliferation by Negatively Regulating 14-3-3σ Expressions in Chicken Fibroblast Cells.

This study focuses on clarifying the regulation of chicken 14-3-3σ protein on the fibrous histiocyte proliferation caused by ALV-J-SD1005 strain infection. DF-1 cells were inoculated with 102 TCID50 of ALV-J-SD1005 strain; the cell proliferation viability was dramatically increased and 14-3-3σ expressions were dramatically decreased within 48 h after inoculation. Chicken 14-3-3σ over-expression could significantly decrease the cell proliferation and the ratio of S-phase cells, but increase the ratio of G2/M-phase cells in ALV-J-infected DF-1 cells; by contrast, chicken 14-3-3σ knockdown expression could cause the opposite effects. Additionally, chicken 14-3-3σ over-expression could also dramatically down-regulate the expressions of CDK2/CDC2, but up-regulate p53 expressions in the DF-1 cells; in contrast, the knockdown expression could significantly increase the expressions of CDK2/CDC2 and decrease p53 expressions. It can be concluded that chicken 14-3-3σ can inhibit cell proliferation and cell cycle by regulating CDK2/CDC2/p53 expressions in ALV-J-infected DF1 cells. ALV-J-SD1005 strain can promote cell proliferation by reducing 14-3-3σ expressions. This study helps to clarify the forming mechanism of acute fibrosarcoma induced by ALV-J infection.

A review of the development in shale oil and gas wastewater desalination.

The development of the shale oil and gas extraction industry has heightened concerns about shale oil and gas wastewater (SOGW). This review comprehensively summarizes, analyzes, and evaluates multiple issues in SOGW desalination. The detailed analysis of SOGW water quality and various disposal strategies with different water quality standards reveals the water quality characteristics and disposal status of SOGW, clarifying the necessity of desalination for the rational management of SOGW. Subsequently, potential and implemented technologies for SOGW desalination are reviewed, mainly including membrane-based, thermal-based, and adsorption-based desalination technologies, as well as bioelectrochemical desalination systems, and the research progress of these technologies in desalinating SOGW are highlighted. In addition, various pretreatment methods for SOGW desalination are comprehensively reviewed, and the synergistic effects on SOGW desalination that can be achieved by combining different desalination technologies are summarized. Renewable energy sources and waste heat are also discussed, which can be used to replace traditional fossil energy to drive SOGW desalination and reduce the negative impact of shale oil and gas exploitation on the environment. Moreover, real project cases for SOGW desalination are presented, and the full-scale or pilot-scale on-site treatment devices for SOGW desalination are summarized. In order to compare different desalination processes clearly, operational parameters and performance data of varying desalination processes, including feed salinity, water flux, salt removal rate, water recovery, energy consumption, and cost, are collected and analyzed, and the applicability of different desalination technologies in desalinating SOGW is qualitatively evaluated. Finally, the recovery of valuable inorganic resources in SOGW is discussed, which is a meaningful research direction for SOGW desalination. At present, the development of SOGW desalination has not reached a satisfactory level, and investing enough energy in SOGW desalination in the future is still necessary to achieve the optimal management of SOGW.

Laparoscopic Resection of Pelvic Schwannomas: A 9-Year Experience at a Single Center.

Background: Pelvic schwannoma (PS), a type of slow-growing and noninvasive neoplasm that occurs in the pelvis, is relatively rare in adults. However, due to the anatomical structures, surgical excision of the tumors is often difficult using the traditional approach. Methods: Data of patients who underwent laparoscopic excision of PS at our hospital between September 2012 and September 2021 were reviewed. All surgeries were performed in the general surgery department. Clinical data were collected from the inpatient and outpatient medical records. Results: In total, 12 patients (median age, 52 years) underwent laparoscopy for PS without conversion to laparotomy. Eight cases of tumors were located in the presacral space, and the others were found in the lateral wall of the pelvis (N = 4). The median operative time was 145 (range, 70-215) minutes, with a median blood loss of 35 (range, 5-200) mL. Among all cases, 3 patients experienced minor postoperative complications. The median postoperative hospital stay was 4 (range, 2-7) days. Moreover, postoperative pathological examinations showed that all PSs were benign. No patient experienced local recurrence during a median follow-up period of 32 (range, 2-106) months. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that laparoscopic resection of PS is feasible, which has a significant advantage in enhancing the accessibility of pelvic structures and preserving nerve and vascular integrities.

Comparison of safety of loop ileostomy and loop transverse colostomy for low-lying rectal cancer patients undergoing anterior resection: A retrospective, single institution, propensity score-matched study.

INTRODUCTION: This study was to compare the prevalence of stoma-related complications and stoma reversal perioperative complications of patients with low-lying rectal cancer who received preventative loop ileostomy and those who underwent loop transverse colostomy. METHODS: This retrospective single-center study analyzed the clinicopathologic and surgical data of 288 patients with pathologically proven primary rectal cancer who underwent anterior resection with either preventative loop ileostomy (n = 82) or loop transverse colostomy. To achieve comparability of a propensity score matching method was used to match patients from each group in a 1:2 ratio. Determinants of stoma-related complications were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Forty-nine (74.3%) patients in the loop ileostomy group experienced stoma-related complications versus 48.7% in the loop transverse colostomy group (P < 0.01). Irritant dermatitis was the most frequent complication in both groups. The loop ileostomy group had a significantly higher rate (24.24%) of stoma reversal perioperative complications than the loop transverse colostomy group. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that ileostomy versus loop transverse colostomy was a significant independent risk for stoma-related complications and stoma reversal perioperative complications. Furthermore, by Clavien-Dindo classification, patients receiving loop ileostomy had an overall higher rate of complications and stoma reversal perioperative complications versus those undergoing loop transverse colostomy (P < 0.01). The rate of grade II complications was significantly higher in the loop ileostomy group (43.9%) than that of loop transverse colostomy group (13.5%, P < 0.01), whereas the rate of grade I, and grade IIIa and IIIb complications and stoma reversal perioperative complications was comparable between the two groups. CONCLUSION: The study has demonstrated that loop transverse colostomy is associated with significantly lower rates of stoma-related complications and stoma reversal perioperative complications compared to loop transverse colostomy.

Anisotropic photoresponse behavior of a LaAlO3 single-crystal-based vacuum-ultraviolet photodetector.

Nowadays, vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) photodetectors (PDs) have attracted extensive attention owing to their potential applications in space exploration, radiation monitoring, and the semiconductor industry. Benefiting from its intrinsic ultra-wide band-gap, chemical robustness, and low-cost features, LaAlO3 shows great promise in developing next-generation compact, cheap, and easy-to-fabricate VUV PDs. In this work, we report the unique anisotropic photoresponse behavior of LaAlO3 single crystals for VUV photodetection applications. First of all, with the guidance of density functional theory (DFT) calculations along with the comprehensive material characterization, the anisotropic carrier transport behavior of LaAlO3 single crystals was confirmed. Thereafter, after exploring the metal-semiconductor-metal (MSM) device configuration along different substrate orientations, including (100), (110), and (111)-LaAlO3 single crystals, we found that the (110)-LaAlO3 VUV PD exhibits the best device performance under VUV illumination, with a responsivity of 2.23 mA W-1, a high detectivity of 3.72 × 1011 Jones, and a photo-to-dark-current ratio of 5.48 × 103. This work not only provides a feasible avenue to explore the anisotropic optoelectronic behavior of ultra-wide band-gap semiconductors but also expands the application of the low-cost oxide perovskite family in the field of VUV photodetection.

Dually Modified Wide-Bandgap Perovskites by Phenylethylammonium Acetate toward Highly Efficient Solar Cells with Low Photovoltage Loss.

Wide-bandgap perovskites as a class of promising top-cell materials have shown great promise in constructing efficient perovskite-based tandem solar cells, but their intrinsic relatively low radiative efficiency results in a large open-circuit voltage (VOC) deficit and thereby limits the whole device performance. Reducing film flaws or optimizing interfacial energy level alignments in wide-bandgap perovskite devices can efficiently inhibit nonradiative recombination to boost device VOC and efficiency. However, the simultaneous regulation on both sides and their underlying mechanism are less explored. Herein, a bifunctional modification approach is proposed to optimize the wide-bandgap perovskite surface with an ultrathin layer of phenylethylammonium acetate (PEAAc) to synchronously decrease the surface imperfection and mitigate the interfacial energy barrier. This treatment effectively heals under-coordinated surface defects through the formation of chemical interaction between the perovskite and PEAAc, bringing about a much slower charge trapping process and dramatically decreasing nonradiative recombination losses. Meanwhile, the passivation-induced upshifted Fermi level of the perovskite contributes to accelerated electron extraction and larger Fermi-level splitting under illumination. Consequently, the PEAAc-modified wide-bandgap (1.68 eV) device achieves an optimal efficiency of 20.66% with a high VOC of 1.25 V, among the highest reported VOC values for wide-bandgap perovskite devices, enormously outperforming that (18.86% and 1.18 V) of the device without passivation. In addition, the radiative limit of VOC for both cells is determined to be 1.42 V, delivering nonradiative recombination losses of 0.24 and 0.17 V for the control and PEAAc-modified devices, respectively. These results highlight the significance of the bifunctional modification strategy in achieving high-performance wide-bandgap perovskite devices.

Efficient degradation of tetracycline under the conditions of high-salt and coexisting substances by magnetic CuFe2O4/g-C3N4 photo-Fenton process.

For the effective degradation of tetracycline (TC), a facilely prepared magnetic CuFe2O4/g-C3N4 (CFO/g) photocatalyst was successfully constructed. The structure, morphology, composition, optical, and magnetic properties of CFO/g were characterized. CFO/g demonstrated excellent photo-Fenton performance of TC in the presence of high-Cl-, NO3-, HCO3-, HPO42-, SO42- and humic acid. Ten cycles of experiments with the removal rate of TC only decreasing by 2.8% confirmed the stability and high activity of CFO/g. The dissolved concentrations of Fe and Cu ions were 0.013 and 0.009 mg L-1, respectively. Its excellent magnetic properties made CFO/g easier to be recycled than traditional catalysts. ·OH and O2·- were proposed to be the main active species in the photo-Fenton system. The CFO/g heterojunction enhanced the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and visible light absorption range. Furthermore, the identification of intermediates suggested that TC degradation was classified into two pathways, and the most critical and rapid degradation was achieved within the first 30 min. The TC and its intermediates did not significantly inhibit the growth activity of Escherichia coli. This research provided a promising application of magnetic photocatalysts in wastewater treatment of pharmaceuticals and personal care products.

Two cationic iron-based crystalline porous materials for encapsulation and sustained release of 5-fluorouracil.

Iron-based crystalline porous materials (CPMs) emerged as a new class of biodegradable and non-toxic materials of high interest for drug delivery systems (DDSs) due to their high loading capacity and controllable structures. This work constructed two kinds of Fe-CPM coordination polymers (CPM-83 and CPM-85) from typical oxo-centered trimers of the iron octahedra cluster [Fe3O(RCOO)3(TPT)] with two functional modules. The tri-topic pyridine ligand (TPT) occupied the open metal sites of the trinuclear cluster, precluding the attachment of neutralizing anions, leading to three-dimensional frameworks with a positive charge and higher stability. Moreover, the triazine ligand TPT divides the original columnar channel into small domains, improving the adsorption efficiency and maximizing the host-guest interaction. Hence, the suitable pore size and electrostatic force make the materials highly adsorption selective for the anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil (5-Fu). We show that Fe-CPM-83 and Fe-CPM-85 loaded with 5-Fu are efficient drug delivery vehicles with loading content as high as 60.5 (wt%) and 32.8 (wt%) within 2-5 h of loading time. Simultaneously, their sustained release kinetics can be up to 96 hours with a completely different pH-responsive controlled release. The released content is 77% or 85% for each complex, significantly prolonging the release process and decreasing the plasma concentration. The MTT assay was performed on mouse fibroblasts (L929) to demonstrate the satisfactory biocompatibility of the matrix. This work has momentous research significance and application value for developing novel drug-delivery materials.

Comprehensive evaluation of Luzhou-flavor liquor quality based on fuzzy mathematics and principal component analysis.

Currently, the primary method of identifying high- and low-quality liquors is sensory tasting, which is prone to uncertainty caused by the biases of tasters. To address this problem, this study used color, aroma, taste, and style as four factors affecting the sensory quality of Luzhou-flavor liquor; determined the weights of each factor; and quantitatively evaluated the sensory quality of five different Luzhou flavor liquor using fuzzy mathematical methods. The volatile aromatic substances in the liquor samples were detected by GC-MS, and analyzed using principal component analysis. The results obtained from fuzzy mathematics and principal component analysis indicated that the comprehensive evaluation system was scientifically sound and reasonably constructed.

Isolation, identification, and whole-genome sequencing of high-yield protease bacteria from Daqu of ZhangGong Laojiu.

A total of 296 strains of protease-producing bacteria were isolated and purified from medium-temperature Daqu produced by ZhangGong LaoJiu Wine Co. Ltd. After calculating the ratio of transparent ring diameter to colony diameter and measuring the protease activities, a strain of high-yield protease bacteria, called DW-7, was screened out with a protease activity of 99.54 U/mL. Through morphological observation, 16S rDNA sequence analysis, and physiological and biochemical tests, the isolated bacteria DW-7 was determined to be Bacillus velezensis. In addition, whole-genome sequencing (WGS), using PacBio and the Illumina platform, was performed. Gene annotation was then conducted using the Clusters of Orthologous Groups (COG), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG), Non-Redundant Protein Sequence Database (NR), and Gene Ontology (GO) databases. The results showed that the genome of DW-7 was 3,942,829 bp long with a GC content of 46.45%. A total of 3,662 protein-encoding genes were predicted, with a total length of 3,402,822 bp. Additionally, 2,283; 2,796; and 2,127 genes were annotated in the COG, KEGG, and GO databases, respectively. A total of 196 high-yield protease genes were mainly enriched in the metabolism of alanine, aspartic acid, glutamate, glycine, serine, and threonine, as well as ABC transporter and transporter pathways.

Preparation of sludge-based materials and their environmentally friendly applications in wastewater treatment by heterogeneous oxidation technology.

The sludge resource utilization and the high value-added development are environmentally friendly means for sludge treatment. With its rich organic substances and metals content, sludge can replace activated carbon and become a widely used carbon-based material, such as sludge-based activated carbon (SBAC). Meanwhile, as a heterogeneous catalyst, sludge-based catalyst (SBC) can solve the requirements of traditional Fenton catalysts for pH, metal ion leaching, and catalyst recycling. In this paper, combining the properties of SBAC/SBCs, the characteristics of the three methods of activation, support, and hydrothermal preparation of SBAC/SBCs are reviewed. In general, it is necessary to select an appropriate preparation method based on pollutants and environmental treatment goals. Furthermore, compared with other catalysts, SBC heterogeneous oxidation has obvious advantages in refractory organic pollutants. And the reaction mechanism usually involves SO4·-, ·OH, O2·-, and 1O2 processes. Finally, some possible directions for future research involving environmentally friendly SBAC/SBCs are proposed.

Comparing the techniques and outcomes of laparoscopic transverse colectomy to laparoscopic hemicolectomy in mid-transverse colon cancer resection.

Introduction: The mid-transverse colon cancer is relatively uncommon in all colon cancers and the optimal surgical approach of mid-transverse colon cancer remains debatable. Aim and Objectives: Our study aimed to depict the techniques and outcomes of laparoscopic transverse colectomy in one single clinical center and compare this surgical approach to traditional laparoscopic right hemicolectomy and laparoscopic left hemicolectomy. Method: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients with mid-transverse colon cancer in one single clinical center from February 2012 to October 2020. The enrolled patients were divided into two groups undergoing laparoscopic transverse colectomy and laparoscopic right/left hemicolectomy, respectively. The intraoperative, postoperative complications, oncological outcomes and functional outcomes were compared between the two groups. The primary endpoint was disease free survival (DFS). Results: The study enrolled 70 patients with 40 patients undergoing laparoscopic transverse colectomy and 30 patients undergoing laparoscopic hemicolectomy. The intraoperative accidental hemorrhage and multiple organ resection occurred similarly in the two groups. In transverse colectomy, caudal-to-cephalic approach was likely to harvest more lymph nodes although require more operation time than cephalic-to-caudal approach (23.1 ± 14.3 vs. 13.4 ± 5.4 lymph nodes, P = 0.004; 184.3 ± 37.1 min vs. 146.3 ± 44.4 min, P = 0.012). The laparoscopic transverse colectomy was marginally associated with lower incidence of overall postoperative complications and shorter postoperative hospital stay although without statistical significance (8(20.0%) vs. 12(40.0%), P = 0.067; 7(5-12) vs. 7(5-18), P = 0.060). The 3-year DFS showed no significant difference (3-year DFS 89.7% in transverse colectomy vs. 89.9% in hemicolectomy, P = 0.688) between the two groups. The alternating consistency of defecation occurred significantly less after laparoscopic transverse colectomy than laparoscopic hemicolectomy (15(51.7%) vs. 20(80.0%), P = 0.030). Conclusion: The laparoscopic transverse colectomy is technically feasible with satisfactory oncological and functional outcomes for mid-transverse colon cancer. Performing the caudal-to-cephalic approach might be more advantageous in lymphadenectomy.

Autoimmune enteropathy and primary biliary cholangitis after proctocolectomy for ulcerative colitis: A case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Autoimmune enteropathy (AIE) and primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) are both immune-mediated diseases. AIE or PBC complicated with ulcerative colitis (UC) are rare. There are no cases of AIE and PBC diagnosed after proctocolectomy for UC reported before, and the pathogenesis of these comorbidities has not been revealed. CASE SUMMARY: A middle-aged woman diagnosed with UC underwent subtotal colectomy and ileostomy due to the steroid-resistant refractory disease, and a restorative proctectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis and proximal neoileostomy was postponed due to active residual rectal inflammation in January 2016. A few months after the neoileostomy, she began to suffer from recurrent episodes of watery diarrhea. She was diagnosed with postcolectomy enteritis and stoma closure acquired a good therapeutic effect. However, her symptoms of diarrhea relapsed in 2019, with different histological features of endoscopic biopsies compared with 2016, which showed apoptotic bodies, a lack of goblet and Paneth cells, and villous blunting. A diagnosis of AIE was established, and the patient's stool volume decreased dramatically with the treatment of methylprednisolone 60 mg/d for 1 wk and tacrolimus 3 mg/d for 4 d. Meanwhile, her constantly evaluated cholestatic enzymes and high titers of antimitochondrial antibodies indicated the diagnosis of PBC, and treatment with ursodeoxycholic acid (16 mg/kg per day) achieved satisfactory results. CONCLUSION: Some immune-mediated diseases may be promoted by operation due to microbial alterations in UC patients. Continuous follow-up is essential for UC patients with postoperative complications.