Dysfunction of cecal microbiota and CutC activity in mice mediating diarrhea with kidney-yang deficiency syndrome.

Objective: Previous studies have indicated that diarrhea with kidney-yang deficiency syndrome leads to a disorder of small intestine contents and mucosal microbiota. However, the relationship of TMA-lyase (CutC) activity and TMAO with diarrhea with kidney-yang deficiency syndrome remains unexplored. Therefore, this study explores the relationship between cecal microbiota and choline TMA-lyase (CutC) activity, as well as the correlation between trimethylamine oxide (TMAO), inflammatory index, and CutC activity. Method: Twenty SPF-grade male KM mice were randomly divided into the normal group (CN) and the diarrhea model group (CD). Diarrhea mouse models were established by adenine combined with Folium sennae administration. CutC activity, TMAO, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels were detected, and the cecal content microbiota was sequenced. Result: After 14 days, diarrhea occurred in the CD group. Compared with the CN group, there was no significant change in the activity of CutC in the small intestine of the CD group, while the activity of CutC in the cecum was significantly increased, and the levels of TMAO, IL-6, and TNF-α showed a significant increase. The Chao1 index, Observed_species index, Shannon index, and Simpson index all exhibited a decreasing trend. The main changes at the bacterial genus level were Alistipes, Enterorhabdus, Desulfovibrio, Bacteroides, Candidatus_Saccharimonas, and [Ruminococcus]_torques_group. The results of LEfSe analysis, random forest analysis and ROC curve analysis revealed Paludicola, Blautia, Negativibacillus, Paraprevotella, Harryflintia, Candidatus_Soleaferrea, Anaerotruncus, Oscillibacter, Colidextribacter, [Ruminococcus]_torques_group, and Bacteroides as characteristic bacteria in the CD group. Correlation analysis showed a significant negative correlation between cecal CutC activity and Ligilactobacillus, and a significant positive correlation with Negativibacillus and Paludicola. The level of TMAO was significantly positively correlated with CutC activity and IL-6. Conclusion: Diarrhea with kidney-yang deficiency syndrome significantly affects the physiological status, digestive enzyme activity, CutC activity, TMAO levels, and inflammatory response in mice. Additionally, there are changes in the composition and function of cecal microbiota, indicating an important impact of diarrhea with kidney-yang deficiency syndrome on the host intestinal microbiota balance. The occurrence of diarrhea with kidney-yang deficiency syndrome may be associated with dysbiosis of intestinal microbiota, increased CutC activity, elevated TMAO levels, and heightened inflammatory factor levels.

[Analysis and clinical application of preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic disorders in a case with Spinal muscular atrophy "2+0" genotype].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the clinical application of preimplantation genetic testing for monogenic disorders (PGT-M) in an unique case with Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) type 2+0. METHODS: A special SMA family presented at the Third Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University on October 19, 2020 was selected as the study subject. Multiple ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) and molecular tagging linkage analysis were carried out to identify the SMN1 genotype of the couple and their fetus. Subsequently, next-generation sequencing (NGS), molecular tagging linkage analysis, and chromosomal microarray analysis were employed to determine the haplotypes and validate the result of PGT-M on the 11 embryos derived for the couple. RESULTS: The female partner was identified as a carrier of the rare SMN1[2+0] variant, and prenatal diagnosis confirmed the fetus to be affected by SMA. Ultimately, PGT-M has successfully selected four embryos free from the pathogenic SMN1 variants and X chromosome deletion. CONCLUSION: PGT-M can effectively prevent the transmission of rare genetic variants such as the SMA 2+0 subtype in the families. Above finding has provided guidance for genetic counseling and family planning for the couple.

OTUB1 accelerates hepatocellular carcinoma by stabilizing RACK1 via its non-canonical ubiquitination.

BACKGROUND: Dysregulated ubiquitination modification occupies a pivotal role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) tumorigenesis and progression. The ubiquitin aldehyde binding 1 (OTUB1) was aberrantly upregulated and exhibited the pro-tumorigenic function in HCC. However, the underlying mechanisms and responsible targets of OTUB1 remain unclear. METHODS: First, bioinformatics analysis, western blot and immunohistochemistry staining were applied to analyze OTUB1 expression in HCC specimens. Then, immunoprecipitation assay-tandem mass spectrometry (MS) combined with the gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA) was used to explore the downstream target of OTUB1. Co-immunoprecipitation and ubiquitination assays were used to identify the mechanisms involved. Finally, we explored the regulatory effect of MAZ on OTUB1 through ChIP-qPCR and dual-luciferase reporter assay. RESULTS: OTUB1 was broadly elevated in HCC tissues and promoted the proliferation and metastasis of HCC in vitro and in vivo. The receptor for activated C kinase 1 (RACK1) performed as a functional partner of OTUB1 and its hyperactivation was associated with aggressive development and other malignant features in HCC by activating oncogenes transcription. Mechanistically, OTUB1 directly bound to RACK1 at its C-terminal domain and decreased the K48-linked ubiquitination of RACK1 through its non-canonical suppression of ubiquitination activity, which stabilized RACK1 protein levels in HCC cells. Therefore, OTUB1 significantly increased multiple oncogenes expression and activated PI3K/AKT and FAK/ERK signaling in a RACK1-dependent manner in HCC. Moreover, the transcription factor MAZ upregulated OTUB1 expression through identifying a putative response element of OTUB1 promoter area. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings might provide a new therapeutic strategy for HCC by modifying the MAZ-OTUB1-RACK1 axis.

Selective recovery of lithium from spent lithium iron phosphate batteries.

The recovery of lithium from spent lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries is of great significance to prevent resource depletion and environmental pollution. In this study, through active ingredient separation, selective leaching and stepwise chemical precipitation develop a new method for the selective recovery of lithium from spent LiFePO4 batteries by using sodium persulphate (Na2S2O8) to oxidize LiFePO4 to FePO4. The impact of various variables on the efficiency of lithium leaching was investigated. Moreover, a combination of thermodynamic analysis and characterization techniques such as X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was employed to elucidate the leaching mechanism. It was found that 98.65% of lithium could be selectively leached in just 35 minutes at 60°C with only 0.2 times excess of Na2S2O8. This high leaching efficiency can be attributed to the stability and lack of structural damage during the oxidation leaching process. The proposed process is economically viable and environmentally friendly, thus showing great potential for the large-scale recycling of spent LiFePO4 batteries.

Degradation of organic pollutants accompanied by the ultrasonic separation of the spent lithium-ion battery cathode materials.

Since the majority of valuable components in spent lithium-ion batteries, such as lithium, exists in the electrode materials, common studies focused on the treatment of the cathode materials, which ignored the harm of residual electrolyte. The cavitation and thermal effects produced by ultrasonic can not only be used for the separation of electrode materials, but also have a wide range of applications in the field of sewage pollutant degradation. This work used ultrasonic to treat simulated electrolyte (propylene carbonate (PC)) solution of spent lithium-ion batteries, explored the effect of ultrasonic power, the addition amount of H2O2 solution (30 wt%) and reaction temperature on the degradation of electrolyte, and analysed the ultrasonic degradation reaction from the perspective of reaction kinetics. And the synchronous experiment of cathode material separation and electrolyte degradation was conducted under the optimal conditions. The results showed that the highest degradation efficiency of PC in the electrolyte was 83.08% under the condition of ultrasonic power of 900 W, the addition of H2O2 solution (30 wt%) of 10.2 mL, reaction temperature of 120°C and reaction time of 120 minutes, and the separation efficiency was 100%. This work reduced the environmental and health risks in the cathode material separation process and was conducive to the green development of spent lithium-ion battery recycling technology.

Efficient HCl leaching of platinum group metals from waste three-way catalysts: A study on kinetics and mechanisms.

Waste three-way catalysts (TWCs) have attracted much attention due to the presence of platinum group metals (PGMs) and hazardous substances such as heavy metals and organic matter. The extraction of PGMs from waste TWCs using hydrochloric acid (HCl) has been extensively researched. However, the addition of oxidizing agents like H2O2 and aqua regia is necessary to facilitate PGMs dissolution, which poses significant environmental and operational hazards. Hence, developing a green PGMs recovery process without oxidants is imperative. Previously, we investigated the process of Li2CO3 calcination pretreatment to enhance the leaching of PGMs from waste TWCs by HCl, focusing on the process and mechanism of Li2CO3 calcination pretreatment. In this study, we focused on the leaching process of HCl after pretreatment. Our investigation includes a detailed examination of leaching kinetics and mechanisms. The optimal leaching conditions were: leaching temperature of 150 °C, leaching time of 2 h, HCl concentration of 12 M, and liquid-solid ratio of 10 mL/g. The experiments resulted in maximum leaching rates of about 96%, 97%, and 97% for Pt, Pd, and Rh, respectively. However, given the presence of heavy metals, attention needs to be paid to the harmless treatment of waste acids and leaching residues. The Pt and Pd leaching process is controlled by a mixture of interfacial chemical reactions and internal diffusion, and dominated by internal diffusion, while the leaching process of Rh is controlled by interfacial chemical reactions. Li+ in Li2PtO3, Li2PdO2, and Li2RhO3 preferentially leached and underwent ion-exchange reactions with H+, promoting the dissolution of Pt, Pd, and Rh in HCl.

Process and mechanism of enhanced HCl leaching of platinum group metals from waste three-way catalysts by Li2CO3 calcination pretreatment.

Recovery of platinum group metals (PGMs) from waste three-way catalysts (TWCs) was usually achieved by dissolving them in an acid solution. However, their dissolution requires the addition of oxidizing agents such as Cl2 and aqua regia, which could cause high environmental risks. Therefore, the development of new methods without the addition of oxidant agents will contribute to the green recovery of PGMs. In this paper, the process and mechanism of PGMs recovery from waste TWCs by Li2CO3 calcination pretreatment-HCl leaching were studied in detail, and molecular dynamics calculations were performed for the formation processes of Pt, Pd, and Rh complex oxides. The results showed that the leaching rates of Pt, Pd, and Rh could reach about 95%, 98%, and 97%, respectively, under the optimal conditions. Li2CO3 calcination pretreatment cannot only oxidize Pt, Pd, and Rh metals to HCl-soluble Li2PtO3, Li2PdO2, and Li2RhO3, but also remove the carbon accumulation in waste TWCs and open the wrapping of PGMs by the substrate and Al2O3 coating. The embedding of Li and O atoms in metallic Pt, Pd, and Rh is an interacting embedding process. Although the Li atoms are faster than O, O will accumulate on the metal surface first before embedding.

F8 gene inversion and duplication cause no obvious hemophilia A phenotype.

Hemophilia A (HA, OMIM#306700) is an X-linked recessive bleeding disorder caused by the defects in the F8 gene, which encodes coagulation factor VIII (FVIII). Intron 22 inversion (Inv22) is found in about 45% of patients with severe hemophilia A. Here, we reported a male without obvious hemophilia A phenotype but bearing an inherited segmental variant duplication encompassing F8 as well as Inv22. The duplication was approximately 0.16 Mb and involved from exon 1 to intron 22 of F8. This partial duplication and Inv22 in F8 was first found in the abortion tissue of his older sister with recurrent miscarriage. The genetic testing of his family revealed that his phenotypically normal older sister and mother also had this heterozygous Inv22 and a 0.16 Mb partial duplication of F8, while his father was genotypically normal. The integrity of the F8 gene transcript was verified by sequencing of the adjacent exons at the inversion breakpoint, which explained why this male had no phenotype for hemophilia A. Interestingly, although he had no significant hemophilia A phenotype, the expression of C1QA in his mother, sister, and the male subject was only about half of that in his father and normal population. Our report broadens the mutation spectrum of F8 inversion and duplication and its pathogenicity in hemophilia A.

Relationship Between Depression After Hemorrhagic Stroke and Auditory Event-Related Potentials in a Chinese Patient Group.

Purpose: Post-stroke depression (PSD) is the most common psychiatric sequelae of stroke. Numerous studies revealed that event-related potentials (ERP) can reflect depression severity to a certain extent, while there is almost no research on depression after hemorrhagic stroke. Therefore, we employed a prospective cross-sectional study to explore the relationship between ERP and depression after hemorrhagic stroke. Methods: A total of 74 patients with intracranial hemorrhage were included in this study. Neurological deficits were evaluated using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) on admission. Depression severity and cognitive impairment were measured using the 17-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-17) and the Chinese version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) after two weeks of treatment. All patients were conducted auditory Oddball paradigm for event-related potential mismatch negativity (MMN) and P300. Results: In total, 36 patients were diagnosed with PSD at the two weeks of treatment, for a percentage of 48.6%. Depression severity of ICH patients correlated positively with both the latency of MMN (r = 0.376, P = 0.001) and P300 (r = 0.325, P = 0.005), and correlated negatively with both the amplitude of MMN (r=-0.385, P = 0.001) and P300 (r=-0.311, P = 0.007). Depression severity was negatively correlated with cognitive function after hemorrhagic stroke (r=-0.347, P = 0.002). Conclusion: The latency and amplitude of MMN and P300 can well reflect the degree of depression after hemorrhagic stroke, which may help in the early diagnosis and effective treatment of PSD.

Molecular Epidemiology and Hematologic Characterization of Thalassemia in Guangdong Province, Southern China.

Introduction: About 2% of the population in the world are carriers of the thalassemia gene. Thalassemia is highly prevalent in Southern China, and traditional clinical testing methods would cause missed diagnosis of partial static thalassemia. Here, we reviewed and summarized a set of simple and clinically feasible thalassemia detection protocols adopted by the Prenatal Diagnosis and Reproductive Center of our hospital. Methods: From January 1, 2015, to December 31, 2020, 31 512 peripheral blood samples and 3828 prenatal samples were collected in our study. All the peripheral blood samples were performed through thalassemia screening by routine blood tests and hemoglobin electrophoresis and gene detection. The prenatal diagnosis would be implemented for the fetus if the parents were carriers of the same type of thalassemia. Results: A total of 6137 (19.48%) cases were diagnosed as thalassemia, in which 4749 (15.07%) were α-thalassemia, 1196 (3.80%) were ß-thalassemia and 192 (0.61%) were co-inheritance of α- and ß-thalassemia. For prenatal samples, 3160 (82.55%) cases were diagnosed as thalassemia, in which 2021 (52.80%) were α-thalassemia, 997 (26.05%) were ß-thalassemia and 142 (3.71%) were co-inheritance of α- and ß-thalassemia. In addition, we also found five novel mutations, including NC_000016.9:g.223681-227492del3812; HBA1: c.301-31_301-24delCTCGGCCCinsG; HBA2: c.95+7C>T for α-thalassemia and HBB: c.263_276delCACTGAGTGAGCTG; HBB: c.315+143G>A for ß-thalassemia. Conclusion: The present study updates the epidemiological characteristics and mutation spectrum of thalassemia in Southern China and demonstrated five novel mutations. Our research provides a reference for clinical diagnosis and treatment, prenatal diagnosis, or reproductive genetic counseling for patients with thalassemia in Guangdong.

Comparative life cycle assessment of LFP and NCM batteries including the secondary use and different recycling technologies.

Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries and lithium nickel cobalt manganese oxide (NCM) batteries are the most widely used power lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) in electric vehicles (EVs) currently. The future trend is to reuse LIBs retired from EVs for other applications, such as energy storage systems (ESS). However, the environmental performance of LIBs during the entire life cycle, from the cradle to the grave, has not been extensively discussed. In this study, life cycle assessment (LCA) was used to quantify and compare the environmental impacts of LFP and NCM batteries. Apart from the phases of production, the first use in EVs, and recycling, the repurposing of retired LIBs and their secondary use in the ESS were also included in the system boundary. Also, the environmental impacts of various recycling processes were evaluated. The LCA results suggested that the NCM battery had better comprehensive environmental performance than the LFP one but shorter service life over the whole life cycle. In China, the first and secondary use phases contributed most to the environmental impacts with electricity mostly generated from fossil fuels. The LIB production phase was relevant to all assessed impact categories and contributed more than 50% to Abiotic Depletion Potential (ADP elements) particularly. The environmental loads could be mitigated through the recovery of metals and other materials. And, hydrometallurgy was recommended for recycling waste LIBs by better environmental advantages than pyrometallurgy and direct physical recycling. Sensitivity analysis revealed that by optimizing the charge-discharge efficiency of LIBs, particularly LFP batteries, all environmental burdens could be considerably decreased. Therefore, improving the electrochemical performance of LIBs and increasing the use proportion of clean energy were crucial to reduce the environmental impacts over their entire life cycle.

Unveiling the recycling characteristics and trends of spent lithium-ion battery: a scientometric study.

The recycling of spent lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is both essential to sustainable resource utilization and environmental conservation. While spent batteries possess a resource value, they pose an environmental hazard at the same time. Since the start of development to recycle spent LIBs in 1990s, important contributions have been made and a number of achievements have been accomplished by scholars globally. Therefore, it is valuable to summarize the developments on spent LIB recycling and to analyze the characteristics and trends comprehensively. A review of the progress in this field will provide guidance for future development. In this study, recycling characteristics and developing trends including the research foundation, milestone, research hotspot, key technologies, and emerging trends were identified based on visual scientometric analysis followed by a discussion on future research directions in this area. For the analysis, 1041 publications in English were collected, summarized, and categorized. The distribution of scientific publications on spent LIB recycling from 1995 to 2020 displayed an increasing trend in numbers. China made the biggest contribution with 528 publications and basically cooperated with all other countries. The research fields with the highest contributions were "engineering", "chemistry", and "environmental science and technology". The keywords recovery, lithium ion battery, and cobalt appeared in high frequency. "Metal value" was identified as the most frequently used keyword which began to burst in 2005 and ended in 2013.

A review of microwave-assisted advanced oxidation processes for wastewater treatment.

Microwave (MW) technology has gained increasing interest in wastewater treatment due to its unique properties, such as fast and uniform heating, hot spots effect, and non-thermal effect. MW enhances the production of active radicals (e.g., OH, SO4-), which exerts a stronger integrated treatment effect in combination with advanced oxidation processes. Over the years, microwave-assisted advanced oxidation processes (MW-AOPs) have developed rapidly to degrade pollutants as innovative treatment approaches. This paper provides a detailed classification and a comprehensive review of MW-AOPs. The latest applications of MW in different advanced oxidation systems (oxidation systems, catalytic oxidation systems, and photochemical, electrochemical and sonochemical systems) are reviewed. The reaction parameters and performance of MW-AOPs in wastewater treatment are discussed, and the enhancement of pollutant degradation by MW is highlighted. In addition, the operating costs of MW-AOPs are evaluated. Some recommendations on MW-AOPs are made for future research. This review provides meaningful information on the potential development and evolution of MW-AOPs.

A review on management of waste three-way catalysts and strategies for recovery of platinum group metals from them.

Platinum group metals (PGMs), especially platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), and rhodium (Rh), are widely used in automotive three-way catalysts (TWCs). PGM resources are scarce and unevenly distributed, with global reserves of 69,000 t in 2020, of which more than 99% are concentrated in South Africa, Russia, Zambia, and the United States. However, the demand for PGMs worldwide is growing continually, especially in China. The recovery of PGMs from spent TWCs not only can alleviate the contradiction between supply and demand but also have good economic and environmental benefits. This paper briefly analyzes the market demand for Pt, Pd, and Rh in the global automotive industry in recent years, emphasizing the importance of waste TWC recycling. It also presents the current status of waste TWC management in some countries, especially China, and critically reviews the main recycling strategies for waste TWCs. On this basis, suggestions for strengthening the management of waste TWCs in China are put forward, and the future development trend of recycling technology is foreseen. The purpose of this paper is to provide some valuable references for the decision-makers of waste TWC management, and hopefully to provide inspiration for related scholars on the future research direction of waste TWC recycling technology.

Application of Restriction Site-Associated DNA Sequencing (RAD-Seq) for Copy Number Variation and Triploidy Detection in Human.

At present, low-pass whole-genome sequencing (WGS) is frequently used in clinical research and in the screening of copy number variations (CNVs). However, there are still some challenges in the detection of triploids. Restriction site-associated DNA sequencing (RAD-Seq) technology is a reduced-representation genome sequencing technology developed based on next-generation sequencing. Here, we verified whether RAD-Seq could be employed to detect CNVs and triploids. In this study, genomic DNA of 11 samples was extracted employing a routine method and used to build libraries. Five cell lines of known karyotypes and 6 triploid abortion tissue samples were included for RAD-Seq testing. The triploid samples were confirmed by STR analysis and also tested by low-pass WGS. The accuracy and efficiency of detecting CNVs and triploids by RAD-Seq were then assessed, compared with low-pass WGS. In our results, RAD-Seq detected 11 out of 11 (100%) chromosomal abnormalities, including 4 deletions and 1 aneuploidy in the purchased cell lines and all triploid samples. By contrast, these triploids were missed by low-pass WGS. Furthermore, RAD-Seq showed a higher resolution and more accurate allele frequency in the detection of triploids than low-pass WGS. Our study shows that, compared with low-pass WGS, RAD-Seq has relatively higher accuracy in CNV detection at a similar cost and is capable of identifying triploids. Therefore, the application of this technique in medical genetics has a significant potential value.

Fatty Acid Synthase-Suppressor Screening Identifies Sorting Nexin 8 as a Therapeutic Target for NAFLD.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: NAFLD is the most prevalent chronic liver disease without any Food and Drug Administration-approved pharmacological intervention in clinic. Fatty acid synthase (FASN) is one of the most attractive targets for NAFLD treatment because of its robust rate-limiting capacity to control hepatic de novo lipogenesis. However, the regulatory mechanisms of FASN in NAFLD and potential therapeutic strategies targeting FASN remain largely unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: Through a systematic interactomics analysis of FASN-complex proteins, we screened and identified sorting nexin 8 (SNX8) as a binding partner of FASN. SNX8 directly bound to FASN and promoted FASN ubiquitination and subsequent proteasomal degradation. We further demonstrated that SNX8 mediated FASN protein degradation by recruiting the E3 ligase tripartite motif containing 28 (TRIM28) and enhancing the TRIM28-FASN interaction. Notably, Snx8 interference in hepatocytes significantly deteriorated lipid accumulation in vitro, whereas SNX8 overexpression markedly blocked hepatocyte lipid deposition. Furthermore, the aggravating effect of Snx8 deletion on NAFLD was validated in vivo as hepatic steatosis and lipogenic pathways in the liver were significantly exacerbated in Snx8-knockout mice compared to wild-type controls. Consistently, hepatocyte-specific overexpression of Snx8 in vivo markedly suppressed high-fat, high-cholesterol diet (HFHC)-induced hepatic steatosis. Notably, the protective effect of SNX8 against NAFLD was largely dependent on FASN suppression. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate that SNX8 is a key suppressor of NAFLD that promotes FASN proteasomal degradation. Targeting the SNX8-FASN axis is a promising strategy for NAFLD prevention and treatment.

Replacing commercial carbon black by pyrolytic residue from waste tire for tire processing: Technically feasible and economically reasonable.

Decades of researches have proved that pyrolysis can not only realize the harmless disposal of waste tire, but also carry out the goal of waste resource utilization via recycling pyrolytic products (e.g. pyrolytic carbon black, CBp). The current work studied the effect of CBp obtained from the commercial scale pyrolysis of waste tire, on the properties of natural rubber and butadiene rubber. CBp was incorporated into a carbon black quality identification standard formula in combination with N234 commercial carbon black (cCB) first. After screening a better substitution ratio, the composite material of CBp and cCB was mixed with more additives, and the experiment was carried out with a real production formula. To restore the practical production situation, the experiment process adopts the most commonly used process to avoid major changes in commercial production. CBp was tested at increasing loading levels as partial or full replacement of cCB. The physico-mechanical properties of the rubber compounds were studied by tests of physical, mechanical, and vulcanization properties. With the increase in the amount of CBp added, the physical and mechanical properties of the rubber compound showed a trend of slightly increasing first and then rapidly decreasing. The addition of CBp can increase the yield strength and stiffness of the rubber, but it may also lead to a decrease in hardness. Meanwhile, the substitution ratio of CBp up to 50% has been proven to improve safety and achieve a more stable vulcanization process of rubber compounds. CBp can replace up to half of cCB without significantly reducing the quality of tire rubber. The economic value of partial replacement of cCB by CBp has also been evaluated, demonstrating that adding a small amount of CBp can directly reduce the cost of raw materials, indirectly reduce the use of fossil energy promoting carbon dioxide reduction worldwide.

Association of gestational diabetes mellitus with changes in gut microbiota composition at the species level.

BACKGROUND: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), a common endocrine disorder with rising prevalence in pregnancy, has been reported to be associated with alteration of gut microbiota in recent years. However, the role of gut microbiome in GDM physiopathology remains unclear. This pilot study aims to characterize the alteration of gut microbiota in GDM on species-level resolution and evaluate the relationship with occurrence of GDM. METHODS: An analysis based on 16S rRNA microarray was performed on fecal samples obtained from 30 women with GDM and 28 healthy pregnant women. RESULTS: We found 54 and 141 differentially abundant taxa between GDM and control group at the genus and the species level respectively. Among GDM patients, Peptostreptococcus anaerobius was inversely correlated with fasting glucose while certain species (e.g., Aureimonas altamirensis, Kosakonia cowanii) were positively correlated with fasting glucose. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that there are large amounts of differentially abundant taxa between GDM and control group at the genus and the species level. Some of these taxa were correlated with blood glucose level and might be used as biomarkers for diagnoses and therapeutic targets for probiotics or synbiotics.

Wet compounding with pyrolytic carbon black from waste tyre for manufacture of new tyre - A mini review.

Pyrolysis offers a more focused alternative to waste tyres treatment. Pyrolytic carbon black (CBp), the main product of waste tyre pyrolysis, and its modified species can be applied to tyre manufacturing realizing its high-value utilization. Modified pyrolytic carbon black/natural rubber composites prepared by a wet compounding (WC) and latex mixing process have become an innovative technology route for waste tyre remanufacturing. The main properties and applications of CBp reported in recent years are reviewed, and the main difficulties affecting its participation in tyre recycling are pointed out. The research progress of using WC technology to replace dry mixing manufacturing of new tyres is summarized. Through literature data and comparative studies, this paper points out that the characteristic of high ash content can be well utilized if CBp is applied to tyre manufacturing. This mini-review proposes a new method for high-value utilization of CBp. The composite mixing of CBp and carbon nano-materials under wet conditions is conducive to the realization of their good dispersion in the rubber matrix. This provides a new idea for customer resource integration and connection of industry development between the tyre production industry and waste tyre disposal management.

Recovery of carbon black from waste tire in continuous commercial rotary kiln pyrolysis reactor.

Environmental problems caused by waste tires have become so glaring that it has attracted wide attention. This case study seeks to examine the properties of carbon black from waste tires continuous commercial scale pyrolysis. This work aims to contribute to this growing area of research by exploring the difference between the properties of products under the condition of mass production and those under the condition of laboratory scale or pilot scale production. A pyrolysis prototype, with a waste tire mass flow rate of 50-60 t d-1 was constructed and introduced. Steel-included tire granulates were pyrolyzed in micro-negative pressure furnace at about 420 ± 20 °C. This kind of nonstripping, micro-negative pressure and low-temperature continuous thermal pyrolysis technology can reduce the stripping process between rubber and steel wire, reduce the requirement of equipment sealing, and improve the utilization rate of resources. All three products including pyrolytic carbon black (CBp), tire pyrolysis oil (TPO) and pyrolysis gas showed good characteristics. Pyrolysis gas had been successfully re-used for pyrolysis furnaces and dryers. The higher heating value of TPO estimated to 37-40 MJ/ kg, which was comparable to diesel fuel through further treatment. Results of proximate analysis, element analysis, XPS, FTIR, XRD and surface structure confirmed that CBp with commercial scale production showed no apparent data difference with those in other small scale research cases. The morphological changes of carbon black particles were suggested, revealing a possible internal structure of CBp aggregates in commercial scale pyrolysis. This study is an attempt to push the existing research in this field to commercial production. This work generates fresh insight into the viability of continuous commercial pyrolysis and demonstrates the feasibility of the operation, providing reference for many researchers and units who study the pyrolysis technology of waste tires with the feasibility of industrial production.