Efficient removal of uranium(VI) from aqueous solution by a novel phosphate-modified biochar supporting zero-valent iron composite.

Uranium (U) is an important strategic resource as well as a heavy metal element with both chemical and radiotoxicity. At present, the rapid and efficient removal of uranium from wastewater remains a huge challenge for environmental protection and ecological security. In this paper, phosphate-modified biochar supporting nano zero-valent iron (PBC/nZVI) was triumphantly prepared and fully characterized. The introduction of polyphosphate can greatly increase the specific surface area of biochar pores, and then the zero-valent iron can be evenly distributed on the surface of material, thus leading to excellent removal performance of the PBC/nZVI for U(VI). The theoretical maximum U(VI) removal capacity of PBC/nZVI was up to 967.53 mg/g at pH 5. The results of adsorption kinetics, isotherm, and thermodynamics showed that the adsorption of uranium by PBC/nZVI was a monolayer physical adsorption and endothermic reaction. And the PBC/nZVI has favorable selectivity toward uranium against the interference of coexisting metal ions. Further mechanism studies show that the excellent uranium removal performance of PBC/nZVI is mainly attributed to the synergistic effect of physical adsorption and chemical reduction. This work proves that the PBC/nZVI has a wide application prospect in the field of uranium wastewater treatment.

Effect of Remineralized Collagen on Dentin Bond Strength through Calcium Phosphate Ion Clusters or Metastable Calcium Phosphate Solution.

This study aimed to investigate whether dentin remineralization and micro-tensile bond strength increase when using calcium phosphate ion clusters (CPICs) or metastable Ca-P. After being etched, each dentin specimen was designated into four groups and treated with the appropriate solution for 1 min: 100% ethanol, 2 and 1 mg/mL of CPICs, and metastable Ca-P. The specimens were then prepared for scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscropy (TEM) imaging, a matrix metalloproteinases inhibition assay, and the micro-tensile bond strength test. To compare among the groups, one-way analysis of variance was performed. In the SEM imaging, with a rising concentration of CPICs, the degree of remineralization of dentin increased significantly. The metastable Ca-P treated specimens showed a similar level of remineralization as the 1 mg/mL CPICs treated specimens. The TEM imaging also revealed that dentin remineralization occurs in a CPICs concentration-dependent manner between the demineralized dentin and the resin layer. Furthermore, the results of micro-tensile bond strength showed the same trend as the results confirmed by SEM and TEM. We demonstrated that a 1 min pretreatment of CPICs or metastable Ca-P in etched dentin collagen fibril can achieve biomimetic remineralization and increase micro-tensile bond strength.

Effects of Zn-Doped Mesoporous Bioactive Glass Nanoparticles in Etch-and-Rinse Adhesive on the Microtensile Bond Strength.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects in the dentin bond strength of dental adhesives (DAs) and biological effects using zinc (Zn)-doped mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles (MBN-Zn). Synthesized MBN and MBN-Zn were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction and the Brunauer, Emmett and Teller (BET) method. The matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) inhibition effects of DA-MBN and DA-MBN-Zn were analyzed. The microtensile bond strength (MTBS) test was conducted before and after thermocycling to investigate the effects of MBN and MBN-Zn on the MTBS of DAs. The biological properties of DA-MBN and DA-MBN-Zn were analyzed with human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs). Compared with the DA, only the DA-1.0% MBN and DA-1.0% MBN-Zn exhibited a statistically significant decrease in MMP activity. The MTBS values after thermocycling were significantly increased in DA-1.0% MBN and DA-1.0% MBN-Zn compared with the DA (p < 0.05). It was confirmed via the MTT assay that there was no cytotoxicity for hDPSCs at 50% extract. In addition, significant increases in the alkaline phosphatase activity and Alizarin Red S staining were observed only in DA-1.0%MBN-Zn. These data suggest the 1.0% MBN and 1.0% MBN-Zn enhance the remineralization capability of DAs and stabilize the long-term MTBS of DAs by inhibiting MMPs.

Synergistic Antitumor Effects of Combined Treatment with HSP90 Inhibitor and PI3K/mTOR Dual Inhibitor in Cisplatin-Resistant Human Bladder Cancer Cells.

PURPOSE: The current study aimed to investigate the synergistic antitumor effect of combined treatment with 17-DMAG (HSP90 inhibitor) and NVP-BEZ235 (PI3K/mTOR dual inhibitor) on cisplatin-resistant human bladder cancer cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Human bladder cancer cells exhibiting cisplatin resistance (T24R2) were exposed to escalating doses of 17-DMAG (2.5-20 nM) with or without NVP-BEZ236 (0.5-4 µM) in combination with cisplatin. Antitumor effects were assessed by CCK-8 analysis. Based on the dose-response study, synergistic interactions between the two regimens were evaluated using clonogenic assay and combination index values. Flow cytometry and Western blot were conducted to analyze mechanisms of synergism. RESULTS: Dose- and time-dependent antitumor effects for 17-DMAG were observed in both cisplatin-sensitive (T24) and cisplatin-resistant cells (T24R2). The antitumor effect of NVP-BEZ235, however, was found to be self-limiting. The combination of 17-DMAG and NVP-BEZ235 in a 1:200 fixed ratio showed a significant antitumor effect in cisplatin-resistant bladder cancer cells over a wide dose range, and clonogenic assay showed compatible results with synergy tests. Three-dimensional analysis revealed strong synergy between the two drugs with a synergy volume of 201.84 µM/mL²%. The combination therapy resulted in G1-phase cell cycle arrest and caspase-dependent apoptosis confirmed by the Western blot. CONCLUSION: HSP90 inhibitor monotherapy and in combination with the PI3K/mTOR survival pathway inhibitor NVP-BEZ235 shows a synergistic antitumor effect in cisplatin-resistant bladder cancers, eliciting cell cycle arrest at the G1 phase and induction of caspase-dependent apoptotic pathway.

RNA demethylase ALKBH5 promotes ovarian carcinogenesis in a simulated tumour microenvironment through stimulating NF-κB pathway.

Methylation is the main form of RNA modification. N6-methyladenine (m6A) regulates the splicing and translation of mRNA. Alk B homologue 5 (ALKBH5) participates in the biological regulation of various cancers. However, its role in ovarian carcinogenesis has not been unveiled. In the present study, ALKBH5 showed higher expression in ovarian cancer tissue than in normal ovarian tissue, but lower expression in ovarian cancer cell lines than in normal ovarian cell lines. Interestingly, Toll-like receptor (TLR4), a molecular functioning in tumour microenvironment (TME), demonstrated the same expression trend. To investigate the effect of abnormal TME on ovarian carcinogenesis, we established an in vitro model in which macrophages and ovarian cancer cells were co-cultured. In the ovarian cancer cells co-cultured with M2 macrophages, the expression of ALKBH5 and TLR4 increased. We also verified that TLR4 up-regulated ALKBH5 expression via activating NF-κB pathway. Depending on transcriptome sequencing, m6A-Seq and m6A MeRIP, we found that NANOG served as a target in ALKBH5-mediated m6A modification. NANOG expression increased after mRNA demethylation, consequently enhancing the aggressiveness of ovarian cancer cells. In conclusion, highly expressed TLR4 activated NF-κB pathway, up-regulated ALKBH5 expression and increased m6A level and NANOG expression, all contributing to ovarian carcinogenesis. Our study revealed the role of m6A in ovarian carcinogenesis, providing a clue for inventing new target therapy.

Upregulated LINC00565 Accelerates Ovarian Cancer Progression By Targeting GAS6.

BACKGROUND: Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been identified to participate in tumorigenesis. However, the underlying mechanisms of differentially expressed lncRNAs engaged in diseases remain indistinct and need further exploration. METHODS: Raw data files downloaded from TCGA and GEO dataset were used to analyze the differentially expressed lncRNAs and LINC00565 was picked out as the potential oncogene. qRT-PCR was used to analyze the LINC00565 level in ovarian tissues and cell lines. Subsequently, the selected ovarian tumor cells were then transfected with LINC00565 siRNA by Lipofectamine 2000 and the cell cycle was detected by flow cytometry. Effect of LINC00565 on tumor growth and cell cycle was verified by tumor formation assay in nude mice. The mechanism of LINC00565 involving in cell cycle regulation was further explored by Western blot. RESULTS: In this research, we discovered that LINC00565, a novel lncRNA, was highly expressed in ovarian cancer (OC). LINC00565 expression level was negatively associated with outcomes of OC patients. Further analysis showed that LINC00565 expression was closely correlated to tumor size, FIGO stage, but not related to other clinical features. In vitro experiments indicated that knockdown of LINC00565 significantly inhibited proliferative, invasive and migratory abilities of ovarian cancer cells. Besides, knockdown of LINC00565 can induce cell cycle arrest in G0/G1 phase. In addition, in vivo assay showed that low expression of LINC00565 inhibited the growth of OC. Further study found that LINC00565 knockdown markedly downregulated the protein expressions of CyclinD1, CyclinE1 and CDK4, but upregulated the expression of P16 and P21. Subsequently, we confirmed that LINC00565 promoted the progression of OC via upregulating GAS6, which has been confirmed to promote tumor progression. CONCLUSION: In summary, our study firstly reported that the LINC00565 functioned as an oncogene to promote the progression of OC by interacting with GAS6.

Genome-wide bioinformatics analysis reveals CTCFL is upregulated in high-grade epithelial ovarian cancer.

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the most lethal gynecological malignancy that threatens the health of females. Previous studies have demonstrated that the survival outcomes of patients with different EOC grades varied. Therefore, the EOC grade is considered to serve as a distinctive prognostic factor. To date, the evaluation of ovarian cancer grade relies on pathological examination and a quantitative index for diagnosis is lacking. Furthermore, the dysregulation of genes has been demonstrated to exert pivotal functions in the carcinogenesis of EOCs. Therefore, the identification of effective biomarkers associated with EOC grade is of importance for the development of therapeutic regimens, and also contributes to the prediction of EOC prognosis. Microarrays have been increasingly applied for the identification of potential molecular biomarkers for numerous diseases including EOC. In the present study, four public microarray datasets (GSE26193, GSE63885, GSE30161 and GSE9891) were analyzed. A total of 6,103 upregulated probes corresponding to 5,766 genes, and 4,004 downregulated probes corresponding to 3,707 genes were identified in the GSE26193, GSE63885 and GSE30161 datasets. ALK and LTK ligand 2 was the most downregulated gene associated with the tumor grade, while CCCTC-binding factor like (CTCFL), EGF like domain multiple 6, radical S-adenosyl methionine domain containing 2 and SAM and HD domain containing deoxynucleoside triphosphate triphosphohydrolase 1 were the most upregulated genes associated with EOC grade. The GSE9891 dataset was added for further analysis. Only one probe (1552368_at) encoding for CTCFL was identified to be consistently upregulated in the four examined datasets. Immunohistochemical analysis was used to detect the expression of CTCFL between low- and high-grade EOC tissues and revealed that the EOC grade was closely associated with CTCFL level. This was corroborated via the reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Taken together, the results of the present study suggested that CTCFL is upregulated in high-grade epithelial ovarian cancer.

LINC01127 promotes the development of ovarian tumors by regulating the cell cycle.

BACKGROUND: Ovarian cancer is characterized by the high mortality rate and poor prognosis. Nevertheless, the oncogenesis mechanisms of ovarian cancer remain unclear. In our study, we focused on the potential role of lncRNA LINC01127 in the pathogenesis of ovarian cancer and its underlying mechanism. METHODS: LINC01127, which may participate in the development of ovarian cancer, was screened out by bioinformatics analysis. GSEA was used to analyze the function of LINC01127. QRT-PCR was used to analyze the LINC01127 level in 72 cases of ovarian cancer tissues and 53 cases of normal ovarian tissues. LINC01127 level in ovarian cancer cell lines was also determined by qRT-PCR. Subsequently, the selected ovarian tumor cells were transfected with LINC01127 siRNA by Lipofectamine 2000, followed by cell cycle detection using flow cytometry. The regulatory effects of LINC01127 on tumor growth and cell cycle in nude mice were verified by tumor formation assay. The mechanism of LINC01127 involving in cell cycle regulation was further explored by Western Blot. RESULTS: LINC01127 expression in ovarian cancer tissues was significantly higher than that in normal ovary tissues. The expression level of LINC01127 was negatively correlated with the prognosis of patients with ovarian cancer. GSEA analysis showed that LINC01127 was mainly enriched in the regulation of cell cycle. After transfection with LINC01127 siRNA, the proliferative abilities of SKOV3 and HO8910 cells were inhibited and cell cycle was arrested at G1/G0 phase. Tumorigenicity assay in nude mice showed that low expression of LINC01127 inhibited the growth of ovarian tumors. Further study found that LINC01127 knockdown upregulated expression levels of Cyclin D, Cyclin E and CDK4, but dramatically upregulated expression levels of P16 and P21. Meanwhile, the AKT and ERK pathways were inhibited by LINC01127 knockdown. CONCLUSIONS: LINC01127 was up-regulated in ovarian cancer tissues. LINC01127 may be involved in the development of ovarian cancer by accelerating cell cycle progression through promoting the phosphorylation of ERK and AKT.

LncRNAs KB-1836B5, LINC00566 and FAM27L are associated with the survival time of patients with ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer (OvCa) is the most common gynecological malignancy type in the United States in 2014. Functions of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in OvCa have attracted increasing attention from researchers. The present study aimed to identify an lncRNA-based signature for survival prediction in patients with OvCa. On the basis of lncRNA expression profiles from The Cancer Genome Atlas data portal, differentially expressed lncRNAs (DELs) were selected from patients with good prognosis and poor prognosis in the training set, from which the prognostic lncRNAs were identified using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses and used to construct a risk scoring system. The prognostic power of this lncRNA signature was tested in the training set and validated in validation dataset and entire dataset. Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses were performed on the genes significantly associated with ≥1 prognostic lncRNA, and a total of 112 DELs were identified. LncRNAs KB-1836B5, long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 566 (LINC00566) and family with sequence similarity E5 (FAM27L) were determined to be prognostic lncRNAs. A three-lncRNAs signature-based risk scoring system was developed, which classified the patients from the training set into high-risk and low-risk groups with significantly different overall survival time. Risk stratification capability of the three-lncRNAs signature was validated in the validation and entire set. Multivariate Cox regression and data stratification analyses determined that the three-lncRNAs signature was independent of other clinical variables. GO and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses determined that the three prognostic lncRNAs may be involved in a number of metabolic processes and signaling pathways, including the mechanistic target of rapamycin signaling pathway, ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, and complement and coagulation cascades pathways. In conclusion, the results of the present study demonstrated that the three-lncRNAs signature may be an independent biomarker for predicting prognosis in patients with OvCa.

[A 2013-based Atmospheric Ammonia Emission Inventory and Its Characteristic of Spatial Distribution in Henan Province].

Based on the best available activity data at a city level from top down and bottom up methods, a 2013-based emission inventory of NH3 was established for the Henan Province using an emission factors method. The 3 km×3 km spatial gridded distribution was carried out by using GIS technology. The results showed that the total amount of atmospheric NH3 emission in Henan Province in 2013 was 1035.3 kt, and the average emission intensity reached levels of 6.4 t/km2. Livestock and nitrogen fertilizer applications were the top two emission sources, accounting for 52.71% and 31.53% of the total emissions, respectively. Beef, laying hen, and goats were the main contributors in the livestock category, accounting for 34.98%, 16.63%, and 14.02% of the total emissions, respectively. There were different characteristics between emission source contributions and emission intensities in each city. Nanyang, Zhoukou, Shangqiu, and Zhumadian were the prefecture-level cities with large emissions, accounting for 11.53%, 9.84%, 9.62%, and 9.57% of the total amount in Henan Province, respectively. The NH3 emission intensities of Puyang and Louhe were larger than those of other cities, reaching up to 10.7 t·km-2 and 10.2 t·km-2, respectively. The spatial distribution revealed that emissions in the middle eastern region were relatively higher; whereas, the western region emissions were relatively low. The areas with high emissions were concentrated in the plains and densely populated areas.

Cellulose Nanocrystal-Based Colored Thin Films for Colorimetric Detection of Aldehyde Gases.

We demonstrate a controllable and reliable process for manifesting color patterns on solid substrates using cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) without the use of any other chemical pigments. The color can be controlled by adjusting the assembly conditions of the CNC solution during a dip-and-pull process while aiding the close packing of CNCs on a solid surface with the help of ionic-liquid (1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium) molecules that screen the repelling electrostatic charges between CNCs. By controlling the pulling speed from 3 to 9 µm/min during the dip-and-pull process, we were able to control the film thickness from 100 to 300 nm, resulting in films with different colors in the visible range. The optical properties were in good agreement with the finite-difference time-domain simulation results. By functionalizing these films with amine groups, we developed colorimetric sensors that can change in color when exposed to aldehyde gases such as formaldehyde or propanal. A principal component analysis showed that we can differentiate between different aldehyde gases and other interfering molecules. We expect that our approach will enable inexpensive and rapid volatile organic compound detection with on-site monitoring capabilities.

Computed Tomography-Based Novel Prediction Model for the Outcome of Shockwave Lithotripsy in Proximal Ureteral Stones.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Computed tomography (CT) is one of the most commonly used diagnostic modalities for urinary stone disease. In this study we developed a CT and clinical parameter-based prediction model for shockwave lithotripsy (SWL) outcome in proximal ureteral stones. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data from 223 patients with single proximal ureteral stones treated with SWL between January 2009 and January 2015 were reviewed retrospectively. Clinical parameters including age, sex, body weight, and body mass index (BMI) were analyzed in combination with stone-related CT parameters (stone diameter, height, volume, location, Hounsfield units [HU], stone-to-skin distance [SSD]), and secondary signs (hydronephrosis, perinephric edema, and rim sign). Based on the cutoff values determined by c-statistics, a scoring system for the prediction of SWL outcome was developed. RESULTS: The success rate was 65.9% (147/223), and in a univariate analysis body weight, BMI, SSD (vertical, horizontal), HU, stone diameter, height, volume, and all secondary signs were significantly associated with the success of SWL. However, on multivariate analysis only BMI (odds ratio [OR] = 1.322, confidence interval [CI] 1.156, 1.512, p = 0.00), stone diameter (OR = 1.397, CI 1.259, 1.551, p = 0.00), and perinephric edema (grade 0-1 vs 3-4, OR = 2.831, CI 1.032, 7.764, p = 0.043) were independent predictors of SWL success. The prediction model based on the logistic regression analysis was as follows: SWL success = 1/[1 + exp (-10.165 + 0.279 × [BMI] + 0.334 × [diameter] + 1.040 [perinephric edema])], having an area under the curve of 0.881. In the prediction model based on these parameters, scores of 0, 1, 2, and 3 correlated with SWL success rates of 98.5%, 65.7%, 31.4%, and 0%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: BMI, stone diameter, and perinephric edema were independent predictors of SWL outcome and a prediction model based on these parameters will facilitate decision-making for SWL in proximal ureteral stones.