The roles of typical emerging pollutants on N2O emissions during biological nitrogen removal from wastewater.

N2O as a potent greenhouse gas often generates in the biological nitrogen removal (BNR) processes during wastewater treatment, which makes BNR become an important greenhouse gas emission source. The emerging pollutants (EPs) are ubiquitous in wastewater and they have shown to influence the BNR processes. However, the deep discussion on potential impacts of EPs on N2O emissions during BNR is rare. Moreover, the experimental parameters for EPs investigation in most of literatures are generally not in line with real-world BNR processes, which calls for deep elucidating the roles of EPs on N2O production and emission. In this work, a critical review summarizes the existing literature about influences of typical EPs on N2O emissions and associated mechanisms during BNR, and it discusses the impacts of some easily overlooked factors, such as real EPs environmental concentrations, EPs bioaccumulation, and multiple EPs coexistence on N2O emissions. This review will provide an insight into exploring and mitigating threats posed by typical EPs on N2O emissions.

Efficacy and safety of epidural block with lidocaine for refractory severe plaque psoriasis: An open-label pilot study in real world setting.

Epidural block using lidocaine, a non-selective blocker of voltage-gated sodium channels (Nav), has demonstrated efficacy in the treatment of severe plaque psoriasis in a limited number of cases. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of epidural lidocaine block in adult patients with severe, treatment-resistant plaque psoriasis. This was an open-label pilot study. Patients with severe plaque-type psoriasis unresponsive to at least one systemic treatment were enrolled for a 1-week epidural lidocaine block and followed up for 48 weeks. Thirty-six patients participated, with 32 completing the study. At the 12-week mark, there was a remarkable 59% improvement in the mean Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) score (P < 0.001). By week 48, 28 out of 32 patients (87%) achieved PASI 75, while 18 out of 32 (56%) reached PASI 90. Within 7 days, 20 out of 21 patients (95%) reported a reduction in itch, with a mean itch reduction of 82% at day 1 and 94% at day 7. Notably, no severe side effects were observed. Epidural lidocaine block proved to be an effective and safe long-term treatment option for individuals with refractory severe plaque psoriasis.

Three-dimensional analysis of hard and soft tissue changes in skeletal class II patients with high mandibular plane angle undergoing surgery.

This study aimed to study 3-dimensional (3D) changes of hard and soft tissues of skeletal class II patients after 2-jaw surgery and genioplasty. 32 adult patients diagnosed with mandibular hypoplasia who underwent 2-jaw surgery of maxillary impaction, mandibular advancement and genioplasty were enrolled. Cone-beam computed tomography and 3D stereophotogrammetry was conducted 1 week before and 6 months after surgery. Dolphin imaging software was used to establish a 3D digitizing model and 3D measurement system. Paired t-test was performed to compare the values before and after surgery. Pearson's correlation test assessed the degree of correlations between hard and soft tissue change. The mean impaction of the maxilla was 2.600 ± 3.088 mm at A. The mean advancement of the mandible was 7.806 ± 2.647 mm at B. There was a significant upward and forward movement for most landmarks of the nose and lip, while a significant decrease in nasal tip height (lateral view), upper lip height, and upper and lower vermilion height. The nose's width was significantly increased. For maxillary, Sn, Ac-r, Ac-l, and Ls demonstrated a significant correlation with A and U1 in the anteroposterior axis. However, there were no significant correlations among them in the vertical axis. For mandibular, Li demonstrated a significant correlation with L1 in the anteroposterior axis specifically for the mandible. Notably, correlations between the landmarks of the chin's hard and soft tissues were observed across all axes. The utilization of 3-D analysis facilitated a quantitative comprehension of both hard and soft tissues, thereby furnishing valuable insights for the strategic formulation of orthognathic treatment plans targeting patients with skeletal class II conditions.

Use of different food additives to control browning in fresh-cut potatoes.

Fresh-cut potato browning is a severe problem in the potato processing industry. Ascorbic acid, L-cysteine, hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and nitric oxide (NO) have been reported to reduce the browning in fresh-cut vegetables and fruits. We compared the effect of each food additive at its commonly used concentration on fresh-cut potato browning in order to choose a highly efficient treatment and explore its mechanism. Fresh-cut potato slices were immersed in 0.3 mmol L-1 ascorbic acid, 0.7 mmol L-1 L-cysteine, 0.7 mmol L-1 H2S, or 2.0 mmol L-1 NO for 10 min and stored at 4°C until the measurements finished. Results showed that the ascorbic acid and L-cysteine treatments showed less browning than the control treatment, while the H2S and NO treatments did not. Ascorbic acid increased total phenolic content, polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and peroxidase (POD) activities, while L-cysteine decreased PPO and POD activities with no change in total phenolic content. In addition, these two treatments did not influence respiration rate, weight loss, or rot index. In conclusion, ascorbic acid (0.3 mmol L-1) and L-cysteine (0.7 mmol L-1) can be valuable means to control fresh-cut potato browning. Ascorbic acid inhibits the browning mainly by reducing quinones back to phenolic compounds, but L-cysteine inhibits the browning mainly by decreasing PPO and POD activities.

Artificial Soil-Like Material Enhances CO2 Bio-Valorization into Chemicals in Gas Fermentation.

Gas fermentation offers a carbon-neutral route for producing industrial feedstocks using autotrophic microbes to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) in waste gases, such as industrial emissions and biogas, into valuable chemicals or biofuels. However, slow microbial metabolism owing to low gaseous solubility causes significant challenges in gas fermentation. Although chemical or genetic manipulations have been explored to improve gas fermentation, they are either nonsustainable or complex. Herein, an artificial soil-like material (SLM) inspired by natural soil was fabricated to improve the growth and metabolism ofCupriavidus necatorfor enhanced poly-ß-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) biosynthesis from CO2 and hydrogen (H2). Porous SLM comprises low-cost nanoclay, boehmite, and starch and serves as a biocarrier to facilitate the colonization of bacteria and delivery of CO2 to bacteria. With 3.0 g/L SLM addition, the solubility of CO2 in water increased by ∼4 times and biomass and PHB production boosted by 29 and 102%, respectively, in the 24 h culture. In addition, a positive modulation was observed in the metabolism of PHB biosynthesis. PHB biosynthesis-associated gene expression was found to be enhanced in response to the SLM addition. The concentrations of intermediates in the metabolic pathway of PHB biosynthesis, such as pyruvate and acetyl-CoA, as well as reducing energy (ATP and NADPH) significantly increased with SLM addition. SLM also demonstrated the merits of easy fabrication, high stability, recyclability, and plasticity, thereby indicating its considerable potential for large-scale application in gas fermentation.

Optimization of the Process for Green Jujube Vinegar and Organic Acid and Volatile Compound Analysis during Brewing.

Healthy fruit vinegar has become very popular recently in China. This study aimed to produce fruit vinegar with a good taste, high nutritional value, and strong functional properties from green jujube. This study investigated the optimization of the process for green jujube vinegar using response surface methodology. The optimum fermentation parameters for green jujube vinegar were determined as follows: initial alcoholicity 6%, acetobacter 8%, fermentation temperature 32 °C, and time 7 d. The organic acids of the optimized sample were evaluated by HPLC, and the volatile substances were identified and analyzed by HS-SPME and GC-MS during the fermentation and aging of the green jujube vinegar. The results showed that the variation trends of the different organic acids during the making of the green jujube vinegar were significantly different. Organic acids are the key flavor compounds of green jujube vinegar, and their changes were mainly attributed to microbial metabolism. In particular, the green jujube vinegar stood out in terms of volatile aroma compounds, including a total of 61 volatile compounds whose major components were acetic acid, isoamyl acetate, ethyl acetate, 3-hydroxy-2-butanone, methyl palmitate, and ethanol. The results can provide theoretical support for the production of green jujube vinegar.

Genome-wide identification, evolution and expression of TGF-ß signaling pathway members in mandarin fish (Siniperca chuatsi).

Members of the transforming growth factor ß (TGF-ß) signaling pathway regulate diverse cellular biological processes in embryonic and tissue development. We took mandarin fish (Siniperca chuatsi) as the research object to identify all members of the TGF-ß signaling pathway, measure their expression pattern in the key period post hatching, and further explore their possible role in the process of sex regulation. Herein, we identified eighty-three TGF-ß signaling pathway members and located them on chromosomes based on the genome of mandarin fish. TGF-ß signaling pathway members were highly conserved since each TGF-ß subfamily clustered with orthologs from other species. Transcriptome analysis, qRT-PCR and in situ hybridization demonstrated that most mandarin fish TGF-ß signaling pathway members presented stage-specific and/or sex-dimorphic expression during gonadal development, and different members of the TGF-ß signaling pathway participated in different stages of gonadal development. Taken together, our results provide new insight into the role of TGF-ß signaling pathway members in the sex regulation of mandarin fish.

Light-Driven Electron Uptake from Nonfermentative Organic Matter to Expedite Nitrogen Dissimilation by Chemolithotrophic Anammox Consortia.

Nonphotosynthetic microorganisms are typically unable to directly utilize light energy, but light might change the metabolic pathway of these bacteria indirectly by forming intermediates such as reactive oxygen species (ROS). This work investigated the role of light on nitrogen conversion by anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) consortia. The results showed that high intensity light (>20000 lx) caused ca. 50% inhibition of anammox activity, and total ROS reached 167% at 60,000 lx. Surprisingly, 200 lx light was found to induce unexpected promotion of the nitrogen conversion rate, and ultraviolet light (<420 nm) was identified as the main contributor. Metagenomic and metatranscriptomic analyses revealed that the gene encoding cytochrome c peroxidase was highly expressed only under 200 lx light. 15N isotope tracing, gene abundance quantification, and external H2O2 addition experiments showed that photoinduced trace H2O2 triggered cytochrome c peroxidase expression to take up electrons from extracellular nonfermentative organics to synthesize NADH and ATP, thereby expediting nitrogen dissimulation of anammox consortia. External supplying reduced humic acid into a low-intensity light exposure system would result in a maximal 1.7-fold increase in the nitrogen conversion rate. These interesting findings may provide insight into the niche differentiation and widespread nature of anammox bacteria in natural ecotopes.

The characteristics of the intestinal bacterial community from Oreochromis mossambicus and its interaction with microbiota from artificial fishery habitats.

BACKGROUND: Artificial habitats can allow many fish to flock together and interact and have been widely used to restore and protect fishery resources. The piece of research intends to elucidate the relationship of microbial communities between tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus) intestines and artificial fishery habitats (water and sediments). Hence, 16 S rDNA sequencing technology was used to study the bacterial communities from intestines, water, and sediments. RESULTS: The results showed that the tilapia intestines had the lowest richness of Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) and the lowest diversity of the bacterial community compared to water and sediments. The intestine, water, and sediment microbial communities shared many OTUs. Overall, 663 shared OTUs were identified from the tilapia intestines (76.20%), the surrounding water (71.14%), and sediment (56.86%) in artificial habitats. However, there were unique OTUs that were detected in different sample types. There were 81, 77 and 112 unique OTUs observed in tilapia intestines, the surrounding water and sediment, respectively. Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, Fusobacteria, and Bacteroidetes were the most common and dominant bacterial phyla between the tilapia intestines and habitats. In the two groups, the microbial communities were similar in the taxonomic composition but different in the abundance of bacterial phyla. Interestingly, Firmicutes increased, while Fusobacteria decreased in artificial habitats. These findings indicated that the artificial habitats had fewer effects on the water environment and indicated that the mode of artificial habitats could have an effect on the enriched bacteria in the tilapia intestines. CONCLUSIONS: This study analysed the bacterial communities of artificial habitats from the intestines, water, and sediments, which can explain the relationship between the tilapia intestines and habitats and strengthen the value of ecological services provided by artificial habitats.

Legacy and Emerging Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances in a Subtropical Marine Food Web: Suspect Screening, Isomer Profile, and Identification of Analytical Interference.

The ban/elimination of legacy per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) has led to a dramatic increase in the production and use of various emerging PFASs over the past decade. However, trophodynamics of many emerging PFASs in aquatic food webs remain poorly understood. In this study, samples of seawaters and marine organisms including 15 fish species, 21 crustacean species, and two cetacean species were collected from the northern South China Sea (SCS) to investigate the trophic biomagnification potential of legacy and emerging PFASs. Bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide was found in seawater via suspect screening (concentration up to 1.50 ng/L) but not in the biota, indicating its negligible bioaccumulation potential. A chlorinated perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) analytical interfering compound was identified with a predicted formula of C14H23O5SCl6- (most abundant at m/z = 514.9373). Significant trophic magnification was observed for 22 PFASs, and the trophic magnification factors of cis- and trans-perfluoroethylcyclohexane sulfonate isomers (1.92 and 2.25, respectively) were reported for the first time. Perfluorohexanoic acid was trophic-magnified, possibly attributed to the PFAS precursor degradation. The hazard index of PFOS was close to 1, implying a potential human health risk via dietary exposure to PFASs in seafood on the premise of continuous PFAS discharge to the SCS.

Significant Improvement of Thermal Conductivity of Polyamide 6/Boron Nitride Composites by Adding a Small Amount of Stearic Acid.

This study investigates the effect of adding stearic acid (SA) on the thermal conductivity of polyamide 6 (PA6)/boron nitride (BN) composites. The composites were prepared by melt blending, and the mass ratio of PA6 to BN was fixed at 50:50. The results show that when the SA content is less than 5 phr, some SA is distributed at the interface between BN sheets and PA6, which improves the interface adhesion of the two phases. This improves the force transfer from the matrix to BN sheets, promoting the exfoliation and dispersion of BN sheets. However, when the SA content was greater than 5 phr, SA tends to aggregate and form separate domains rather than being dispersed at the interface between PA6 and BN. Additionally, the well-dispersed BN sheets act as a heterogeneous nucleation agent, significantly improving the crystallinity of the PA6 matrix. The combination of good interface adhesion, excellent orientation, and high crystallinity of the matrix leads to efficient phonon propagation, resulting in a significant improvement in the thermal conductivity of the composite. The highest thermal conductivity of the composite is achieved when the SA content is 5 phr, which is 3.59 W m-1 K-1. The utilization of a composite material consisting of 5phr SA as the thermal interface material displays the highest thermal conductivity, and the composite also demonstrates satisfactory mechanical properties. This study proposes a promising strategy for the preparation of composites with high thermal conductivity.

The mechanism underlying the remodeling effect of lactoferrin on midpalatal sutures during maxillary expansion and relapse in rats.

INTRODUCTION: The remodeling effects of intragastric administration and intramaxillary injection of lactoferrin (LF) on midpalatal sutures (MPS) during maxillary expansion and relapse in rats were studied to explore the underlying bone remodeling mechanism. METHODS: Using a rat model of maxillary expansion and relapse, rats were treated with LF by intragastric administration (1 g·kg-1·d-1) or intramaxillary injection (5 mg·25 µl-1·d-1). The effects of LF on the osteogenic and osteoclast activities of MPS were observed by microcomputed tomography, histologic staining, and immunohistochemical staining, and the expressions of key factors in the extracellular regulated protein kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) pathway and osteoprotegerin (OPG)-receptor activator of nuclear factor-KB ligand (RANKL)-receptor activator of nuclear factor-KB (RANK) axis were detected. RESULTS: Compared with the group with maxillary expansion alone, osteogenic activity was relatively enhanced, whereas osteoclast activity was relatively weakened in the groups administered LF, and the phosphorylated-ERK1/2: ERK1/2 and OPG: RANKL expression ratios increased significantly. The difference was more significant in the group administered LF intramaxillary. CONCLUSIONS: Administration of LF promoted osteogenic activity at MPS and inhibited osteoclast activity during maxillary expansion and relapse in rats, which may have occurred through regulation of the ERK1/2 pathway and the OPG-RANKL-RANK axis. The efficiency of intramaxillary LF injection was greater than that of intragastric LF administration.

Orthodontic-surgical treatment for severe skeletal class II malocclusion with vertical maxillary excess and four premolars extraction: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Patient satisfaction with facial appearance at the end of orthodontic camouflage treatment is very important, especially for skeletal malocclusion. This case report highlights the importance of the treatment plan for a patient initially treated with four-premolar-extraction camouflage, despite indications for orthognathic surgery. CASE SUMMARY: A 23-year-old male sought treatment complaining about his unsatisfactory facial appearance. His maxillary first premolars and mandibular second premolars had been extracted, and a fixed appliance had been used to retract his anterior teeth for two years without improvement. He had a convex profile, a gummy smile, lip incompetence, inadequate maxillary incisor inclination, and almost a class I molar relationship. Cephalometric analysis showed severe skeletal class II malocclusion (A point-nasion-B point = 11.5°) with a retrognathic mandible (sella-nasion-B point = 75.9°), a protruded maxilla (sella-nasion-A point = 87.4°), and vertical maxillary excess (upper incisor to palatal plane = 33.2 mm). The excessive lingual inclination of the maxillary incisors (upper incisor to nasion-A point line = -5.5°) was due to previous treatment attempts to compensate for the skeletal class II malocclusion. The patient was successfully retreated with decompensating orthodontic treatment combined with orthognathic surgery. The maxillary incisors were repositioned and proclined in the alveolar bone, the overjet was increased, and a space was created for orthognathic surgery, including maxillary impaction, anterior maxillary back-setting, and bilateral sagittal split ramus osteotomy to correct his skeletal anteroposterior discrepancy. Gingival display was reduced, and lip competence was restored. In addition, the results remained stable after 2 years. The patient was satisfied with his new profile as well as with the functional malocclusion at the end of treatment. CONCLUSION: This case report provides orthodontists a good example of how to treat an adult with severe skeletal class II malocclusion with vertical maxillary excess after an unsatisfactory orthodontic camouflage treatment. Orthodontic and orthognathic treatment can significantly correct a patient's facial appearance.

Alveolar bone height changes in the anterior tooth region before and after orthodontic treatment for Angle's Class II division 1 malocclusion and related factors.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to observe the alveolar bone height changes in the anterior tooth region after orthodontic treatment for Angle's Class II division 1 malocclusion. METHODS: Ninety-three patients treated from January 2015 to December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed, of whom 48 received tooth extraction and 45 did not. RESULTS: After orthodontic treatment, the alveolar bone heights in the anterior tooth regions of tooth extraction and non-extraction groups decreased by 67.31% and 66.94%, respectively. Except for the maxillary and mandibular canines in the tooth extraction group as well as the labial side of maxillary anterior teeth and the palatal side of maxillary central incisors of the non-extraction group, the alveolar bone heights of other sites significantly reduced (P<0.05). The reduction in the alveolar bone height of the tooth extraction group significantly exceeded that of the non-extraction group on the palatal side of maxillary incisors and the lingual side of mandibular anterior teeth (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Alveolar bone height in the anterior tooth region decreases after orthodontic treatment for Angle's Class II division 1 malocclusion, being closely related to tooth position together with movement direction and amplitude.

Rizatriptan-Loaded Oral Fast Dissolving Films: Design and Characterizations.

Rizatriptan (RZT) is an efficient anti-migraine drug which belongs to the class of selective 5 HT (1B/1D) serotonin receptor agonists. Nevertheless, RZT elicits several adverse effects and RZT nasal sprays have a limited half-life, requiring repeated doses that could cause patient noncompliance or harm to the nasopharynx and cilia. The current research aimed to develop orally disintegrating films (ODFs) of RZT employing maltodextrin (MTX) and pullulan (PUL) as film-forming polymers, as well as propylene glycol (PG) as a plasticizer. The ODFs were prepared by solvent casting method (SCM). The technique was optimized using Box-Behnken design (BBD), contemplating the ratios of PUL: MTX and different levels of PG (%) as factor variables. The influence of these factors was systematically analyzed on the selected dependent variables, including film thickness, disintegration time (D-time), folding endurance (FE), tensile strength (TS), percent elongation (%E), moisture content (%), and water uptake (%). In addition, the surface morphology, solid state analysis, drug content uniformity (%), drug release (%), and pH of the RZT-ODFs were also studied. The results demonstrated a satisfactory stable RZT-ODFs formulation that exhibited surface homogeneity and amorphous RZT in films with no discernible interactions between the model drug and polymeric materials. The optimized film showed a rapid D-time of 16 s and remarkable mechanical features. The in vitro dissolution kinetics showed that 100% RZT was released from optimized film compared to 61% RZT released from conventional RZT formulation in the initial 5 min. An animal pharmacokinetic (PK) investigation revealed that RZT-ODFs had a shorter time to achieve peak plasma concentration (Tmax), a higher maximum plasma concentration (Cmax), and area under the curve (AUC0-t) than traditional oral mini capsules. These findings proposed a progressive approach for developing anti-migraine drugs that could be useful in reducing the complications of dysphagia in geriatric and pediatric sufferers.

Orthodontic-surgical treatment of an Angle Class II malocclusion patient with mandibular hypoplasia and missing maxillary first molars: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Adult patients presenting with Angle Class II division 1 malocclusions that have a strong skeletal etiology can be challenging for clinicians, particularly if accompanied by retrognathia of the mandible and a dolichofacial growth pattern. CASE SUMMARY: In this case report, we describe the successful orthodontic and surgical management of a 20-year-old woman with an Angle Class II malocclusion with a severe anteroposterior skeletal discrepancy characterized by mandibular deficiency. She had incompetent lips, dental and skeletal Class II malocclusion, high mandibular plane angle, mild mandibular crowding, and two missing maxillary first molars. The treatment plan comprised: (1) Extraction of two mandibular second premolars to decompensate and retract mandibular incisors; (2) pre-surgical alignment, leveling, and space closure of the teeth in both arches, and protraction of the second maxillary molars to close the maxillary space; (3) surgical treatment including a LeFort I osteotomy for maxillary retraction and rotation, a bilateral sagittal split osteotomy for mandibular advancement and rotation, and a genioplasty for correctting the skeletal deformities; and (4) post-surgical correction of the malocclusion. CONCLUSION: The patient's facial esthetics was significantly improved and a desirable occlusion was achieved after 16 mo treatment. Follow-up records after 2 years showed stable esthetics and function.

Inorganic quantum dots - anammox consortia hybrid for stable nitrogen elimination under high-intensity solar-simulated irradiation.

External stimulus such as light irradiation is able to deteriorate intracellular redox homeostasis and induce photooxidative damage to non-photogenic bacteria. Exploiting effective strategies to help bacteria resisting infaust stress is meaningful for achieving a stable operation of biological treatment system. In this work, selenium-doped carbon quantum dots (Se-CQDs) were blended into anaerobic ammonia oxidation (anammox) bacteria and an inorganic nanoparticle-microbe hybrid was successfully fabricated to evaluate its nitrogen removal performance under solar-simulated irradiation. It was found that the specific anammox activity decreased by 29.7 ± 5.2% and reactive oxygen species (ROS) content increased by 134.8 ± 4.1% under 50,000 lux light. Sludge activity could be completely recovered under the optimum dosage of 0.42 mL·(g volatile suspended solid) -1 Se-CQDs. Hydroxyl radical (·OH) and superoxide anion radical (·O2-) were identified as the leading ROS inducing lipid peroxidation and antioxidase function detriment. Also, the structure of ladderane lipids located on anammoxosome was destroyed by ROS and functional genes abundances declined accordingly. Although cell surface coated Se-CQDs could absorb ultraviolet light and partially mitigated the photoinhibition, the direct scavenging of ROS by intracellular Se-CQDs primarily contributed to the cellular redox homeostasis, antioxidase activity recovery and sludge activity improvement. The findings of this work provide in-depth understanding the metabolic response mechanism of anammox consortia to light irradiation and might be valuable for a more stable and sustainable nitrogen removal technology, i.e., algal-bacterial symbiotic system, development.

Multi-disciplinary treatment of maxillofacial skeletal deformities by orthognathic surgery combined with periodontal phenotype modification: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Maxillofacial deformities are skeletal discrepancies that cause occlusal, functional, and esthetic problems, and are managed by multi-disciplinary treatment, including careful orthodontic, surgical, and periodontal evaluations. However, thin periodontal phenotype is often overlooked although it affects the therapeutic outcome. Gingival augmentation and periodontal accelerated osteogenic orthodontics (PAOO) can effectively modify the periodontal phenotype and improve treatment outcome. We describe the multi-disciplinary approaches used to manage a case of skeletal Class III malocclusion and facial asymmetry, with thin periodontal phenotype limiting the correction of deformity. CASE SUMMARY: A patient with facial asymmetry and weakness in chewing had been treated with orthodontic camouflage, but the treatment outcome was not satisfactory. After examination, gingiva augmentation and PAOO were performed to increase the volume of both the gingiva and the alveolar bone to allow further tooth movement. After orthodontic decompensation, double-jaw surgery was performed to reposition the maxilla-mandibular complex. Finally, implant placement and chin molding were performed to restore the dentition and to improve the skeletal profile. The appearance and function were significantly improved, and the periodontal tissue remained healthy and stable. CONCLUSION: In patients with dentofacial deformities and a thin periodontal phenotype, multi-disciplinary treatment that includes PAOO could be effective, and could improve both the quality and safety of orthodontic-orthognathic therapy.

Response of the mainstream anammox process to the biodegradable carbon sources in the granule-based systems: The difference in self-stratification of the microbial community.

The inevitable introduction of biodegradable carbon sources (such as monosaccharides and volatile fatty acids) originating from pretreatment units might affect the performance of the mainstream anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) process. Two model carbon sources (glucose and acetate) were selected to investigate their effects on granule-based anammox systems under mainstream conditions (70 mg total nitrogen (TN) L-1, 15 °C). At a nitrogen loading rate of 2.87 ± 0.80 kg N m-3 d-1, a satisfactory effluent quality (TN < 10 mg L-1) was achieved in the presence of glucose or acetate at a chemical oxygen demand (COD/N) ratio of 0.5. The contribution of anammox to nitrogen removal decreased with increasing COD/N ratio to 1.0 because the expression of anammox functional genes was inhibited, whereas the expression of denitrifying functional genes was promoted. However, the nitrogen removal efficiency of the two considered reactors was maintained above 80 %. Self-stratification of the microbial community along the reactor height facilitated a functional balance through the retention of anammox bacteria in granules but resulted in washout of denitrifying bacteria in flocs under a high-flow pattern. These findings highlighted the advantages of granule-based systems in the mainstream anammox process due to their inherent biomass self-segregation property and the need for the development of targeted biomass retention strategies.

ddRAD-Seq reveals evolutionary insights into population differentiation and the cryptic phylogeography of Hyporhamphus intermedius in Mainland China.

Species differentiation and local adaptation in heterogeneous environments have attracted much attention, although little is known about the mechanisms involved. Hyporhamphus intermedius is an anadromous, brackish-water halfbeak that is widely distributed in coastal areas and hyperdiverse freshwater systems in China, making it an interesting model for research on phylogeography and local adaptation. Here, 156 individuals were sampled at eight sites from heterogeneous aquatic habitats to examine environmental and genetic contributions to phenotypic divergence. Using double-digest restriction-site-associated DNA sequencing (ddRAD-Seq) in the specimens from the different watersheds, 5498 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were found among populations, with obvious population differentiation. We find that present-day Mainland China populations are structured into distinct genetic clusters stretching from southern and northern ancestries, mirroring geography. Following a transplant event in Plateau Lakes, there were virtually no variations of genetic diversity occurred in two populations, despite the fact two main splits were unveiled in the demographic history. Additionally, dorsal, and anal fin traits varied widely between the southern group and the others, which highlighted previously unrecognized lineages. We then explore genotype-phenotype-environment associations and predict candidate loci. Subgroup ranges appeared to correspond to geographic regions with heterogeneous hydrological factors, indicating that these features are likely important drivers of diversification. Accordingly, we conclude that genetic and phenotypic polymorphism and a moderate amount of genetic differentiation occurred, which might be ascribed to population subdivision, and the impact of abiotic factors.