Nervonic acid alleviates MPTP-induced Parkinson's disease via MEK/ERK pathway.

Nervonic acid (NA) is a primary long-chain fatty acid and has been confirmed to have neuroprotective effects in neurologic diseases. Oxidative stress and neuronal damage are the main causes of Parkinson's disease (PD). This study mainly explored whether NA is involved in regulating oxidative stress and apoptosis in MPTP-induced mouse model and MPP-induced cell model. Through behavior tests, we proved that MPTP-induced motor dysfunction in mice was recovered by NA treatment. NA can reduce MPTP-induced neuronal damage, manifested by elevated levels of TH and dopamine, as well as decreased levels of α-syn. In the in vitro model, we observed from CCK8 assay and flow cytometry that the induction of MPP markedly suppressed cell activity and enhanced cell apoptosis, but these functions were all reversed by NA. Furthermore, NA administration reversed the increase in ROS production and MDA levels induced by MPTP or MPP, as well as the decrease in SOD levels, suggesting the antioxidant properties of NA in PD. Meanwhile, we confirmed that NA can regulate oxidative stress and neuronal damage by activating the MEK/ERK pathway. Overall, we concluded that NA could alleviate MPTP-induced PD via MEK/ERK pathway.

Bibliometric analysis of photodynamic therapy and immune response from 1989-2023.

Objective: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a minimally invasive treatment approach for precancerous and cancerous lesions, known for its ability to activate the host immune response. This study conducted a bibliometric analysis to identify the research trends and hotspots related to the immune response in PDT. Methods: We analyzed articles and reviews published from 1989 to 2023, retrieved from the Web of Science database. Using Citespace and VOSviewer, we visualized the distribution patterns of these studies in time and space. Results: The analysis revealed a substantial increase in the number of publications on PDT-related immune response since 1989. A total of 1,688 articles from 1,701 institutions were included in this analysis. Among thei nstitutions, the Chinese Academy of Sciences demonstrated exceptional productivity and a willingness to collaborate with others. Additionally, 8,567 authors contributed to the field, with Mladen Korbelik, Michael R. Hamblin, and Wei R. Chen being the most prolific contributors. The current research focus revolves around novel strategies to enhance antitumor immunity in PDT, including PDT-based dendritic cell vaccines, combination therapies with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), and the use of nanoparticles for photosensitizer delivery. Furthermore, genes such as CD8A, TNF, CD4, IFNG, CD274, IL6, IL10, CALR, HMGB1, and CTLA4 have been evaluated in the context of PDT-related immunity. Conclusion: PDT not only achieves tumor ablation but also stimulates the immune response, bolstering antitumor immunity. This study highlights the emerging hotspots in PDT-related immune response research and provides valuable insights for future investigations aimed at further enhancing antitumor immunity.

Stimuli-responsive incremental DNA machine auto-catalyzed CRISPR-Cas12a feedback amplification permits ultrasensitive molecular diagnosis of esophageal cancer-related microRNA.

Development of new diagnostic methods is essential for disease diagnosis and treatment. In this work, we present a stimuli-responsive incremental DNA machine auto-catalyzed CRISPR-Cas12a (SRI-DNA machine/CRISPR-Cas12a) feedback amplification for ultrasensitive molecular detection of miRNA-21, which is an important biomarker related closely to the initiation and development of cancers, such as esophageal cancer. Strategically, the powerful SRI-DNA machine and efficient trans-cleavage activity of the CRISPR-Cas12a system are ingeniously integrated via a rationally designed probe termed as stem-elongated functional hairpin probe (SEF-HP). The SRI-DNA machine begins with the target miRNA, the trigger of the reaction, binding complementarily to the SEF-HP, followed by autonomously performed mechanical strand replication, cleavage, and displacement circuit at multiple sites. This conversion process led to the amplified generation of numerous DNA activators that are complementary with CRISPR RNA (CrRNA). Once formed the DNA activator/CrRNA heteroduplex, the trans-cleavage activity of the CRISPR-Cas12a was activated to nonspecific cleavage of single-stranded areas of a reporter probe for fluorescence emission. Under optimal conditions, the target miRNA can be detected with a wide linear range and an excellent specificity. As a proof-of-concept, this SRI-DNA machine/CRISPR-Cas12a feedback amplification system is adaptable and scalable to higher-order artificial amplification circuits for biomarkers detection, highlighting its promising potential in early diagnosis and disease treatment.

Occurrence, removal, and risk assessment of emerging contaminants in aquatic products processing sewage treatment plants.

Emerging contaminants (ECs) in aquatic environments have attracted attention due to their wide distribution and potential ecotoxicities. Sewage treatment plants (STPs) are proven to be the major source of ECs in the aquatic environment, while there remains insufficient understanding of the removal and risk assessment of ECs in STPs. Here, we clarified the degradation and risk impact of 13 ECs in two aquatic product processing sewage treatment plants (APPSTPs) along the southeast coast of China. The concentrations of ECs followed the order: endocrine-disrupting chemicals (1877.85-15,398.02 ng/L in influent, 3.37-44.47 ng/L in effluent) > > sulfonamide antibiotics (SAs, 75.14-906.19 ng/L in influent, 1.14-15.33 ng/L in effluent) > pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs, 44.47-589.93 ng/L in influent, 2.54-34.16 ng/L in effluent) ≈ fluoroquinolone antibiotic (54.76-434.83 ng/L in influent, 10.75-32.82 ng/L in effluent) > other antibiotics (16.21-51.96 ng/L in influent, 0.68-6.17 ng/L in effluent). Moreover, the concentrations of PPCPs (decreased by 55.33-87.65% in peak fishing season) and antibiotics (increased by 44.99% in peak fishing season) were affected by fishing activities. In particular, the sequencing batch reactor (SBR) process had a better removal effect than the anaerobic-anoxic-oxic (A2/O) process on the treatment of some contaminants (e.g., norfloxacin and nonylphenol). Risk evaluations of ECs demonstrated that nonylphenol and SAs were at high- and low-risk states, respectively. Overall, our results provide important information for the degradation treatment of ECs, which is essential for pollutant management policy formulation.

Early diagnosis for the onset of peri-implantitis based on artificial neural network.

The aim of this study is to construct an artificial neural network (ANN) based on bioinformatic analysis to enable early diagnosis of peri-implantitis (PI). PI-related datasets were retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and functional enrichment analyses were performed between PI and the control group. Furthermore, the infiltration of 22 immune cells in PI was analyzed using CIBERSORT. Hub genes were identified with random forest (RF) classification. The ANN model was then constructed for early diagnosis of PI. A total of 1,380 DEGs were identified. Enrichment analysis revealed the involvement of neutrophil-mediated immunity and the NF-kappa B signaling pathway in PI. Additionally, higher proportion of naive B cells, activated memory CD4 T cells, activated NK cells, M0 macrophages, M1 macrophages, and neutrophils were observed in the soft tissues surrounding PI. From the RF analysis, 13 hub genes (ST6GALNAC4, MTMR11, SKAP2, AKR1B1, PTGS2, CHP2, CPEB2, SYT17, GRIP1, IL10, RAB8B, ABHD5, and IGSF6) were selected. Subsequently, the ANN model for early diagnosis of PI was constructed with high performance. We identified 13 hub genes and developed an ANN model that accurately enables early diagnosis of PI.

Performance of alkali and Cu-modified ZSM-5 during catalytic ozonation of polyvinyl alcohol in aqueous solution.

A novel hierarchical Cu/ZSM-5 was prepared over alkaline treatment and incipient wet impregnation method for the catalytic ozonation of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). Under the optimum preparation conditions, hierarchical Cu/ZSM-5 exhibited an excellent mineralization performance during the PVA degradation process, and the removal rate of TOC after 60 min of reaction was 47.86%, much higher than that of ozonation alone (5.40%). Its high catalytic activity could attribute to the large pore volume (0.27 cm3/g) and pore size (6.51 nm) which are beneficial for the distribution of loaded copper and adsorption performance for PVA. Compared to ·OH, 1O2 (2.66 times in 10 min) contributed more to the removal of PVA. The degradation of PVA was a combined process of direct ozone oxidation, catalytic ozonation and adsorption. With its high catalytic performance and stability, hierarchical Cu/ZSM-5 has a very broad application prospect in the process of catalytic ozonation of refractory pollutants.

Er: YAG laser assisted photodynamic therapy for the management of severe oral epithelial dysplasia with innate and adaptive immune responses.

Oral epithelial dysplasia (OED) in oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) increases the risk of malignant transformation. However, the management of OED is not well defined. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a hypotoxic, highly selective and minimally-invasive operation which reduces morbidity and disfigurement greatly. Additionally, laser ablation guaranteed a better penetration for topical application of 5-aminolaevulinic acid (ALA)-PDT. Herein, we present a case of a large lesion of oral leukoplakia (OLK) in left tongue dorsum and lateral margin, pathologically manifested as severe epithelial dysplasia (SED). We firstly discussed the feasibility of Er: YAG laser assisted PDT for the treatment of SED in OPMDs. The patient achieved complete remission at 1 year follow-up. Downregulated number of p53 and Ki67 positive cells were observed in the tissues after Er: YAG laser assisted PDT. In addition, increased CD8+ positive cells infiltrated around the tissues and increased natural killer (NK) cells level were detected in the peripheral blood. In summary, Erbium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Er:YAG) laser assisted PDT is an effective and promising treatment for the management of SED in OPMDs with innate and adaptive immune responses.

Ti/RuO2-IrO2 anodic electrochemical oxidation composting leachate biochemical effluent: Response surface optimization and failure mechanism.

In this work, the electrolytic process conditions for the electrochemical oxidation (EO) of composting leachate biochemical effluent (CLBE) were optimized via the response surface methodology (RSM). Meanwhile, a comparative study had been done on the failure characteristics of Ti/RuO2-IrO2 anodes in a single electrolyte solution system (H2SO4 and NaCl) and real wastewater (CLBE) by accelerated life tests, respectively. The RSM optimization results showed that the COD, NH3-N and TN removal rates were 50.53%, 100% and 95.61% at 30 min, respectively, with a desirability value of 0.993. In parallel, the electrochemical and material characterizations were carried out on the electrodes before and after failure, by which the failure mechanism of Ti/RuO2-IrO2 anodes was clarified. On the whole, the true failure in the H2SO4 solution was attributed to coating dissolution and Ti substrate oxidation. In contrast, the electrode exhibited "apparent failure" due to the "bubble effect" in both NaCl and CLBE solutions, and the "effective roughness" formed compensated for the loss of activity caused by the absence of the coating. Besides, additional dissolution of the Ti substrate occurred in the CLBE solution due to the current edge effect and the presence of organic matter. This paper takes the actual wastewater as the research object and reveals its electrode failure mechanism, which provides a theoretical basis and reference for the subsequent optimization of the actual electrode service life.

Removal performance and mechanism for a three-dimensional electrode system treating biochemical effluent of a wastewater treatment plant.

With the increasingly strict discharge requirements, it is urgent for wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) to find an efficient and feasible technology for advanced treatment. A three-dimensional (3D) electrode system was used to treat the real biochemical effluent of a WWTP collecting industrial and domestic wastewater in the present study. The 3D electrode system had the best performance at a current density of 2 mA/cm2 and an electrode distance of 3 cm. The kinetic analysis showed that the organic pollutant degradation conformed to pseudo-first-order kinetics. The COD removal of the 3D electrode system was more than twice that of the two-dimensional (2D) electrode system, and the energy consumption was 46.56% less than that of the 2D electrode system. By measuring the adsorption capacity and the electrocatalytic ability of the system to produce strong oxidizing species, it was demonstrated that granular activated carbon (GAC) had the synergy of adsorption and electrochemical oxidation, and ·OH playing the dominant role in oxidizing pollutants. At the same time, the organic contaminants adsorbed on GAC could be degraded. Finally, the adsorption-electrochemical oxidation mechanism was proposed. The above results highlighted that the 3D electrode system was a promising alternative method in the application of advanced treatment for WWTPs.

Bidirectional association between polycystic ovary syndrome and periodontal diseases.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and periodontal disease (PDD) share common risk factors. The bidirectional interaction between PCOS and PDD has been reported, but until now, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Endocrine disorders including hyperandrogenism (HA) and insulin resistance (IR) in PCOS disturb the oral microbial composition and increase the abundance of periodontal pathogens. Additionally, PCOS has a detrimental effect on the periodontal supportive tissues, including gingiva, periodontal ligament, and alveolar bone. Systemic low-grade inflammation status, especially obesity, persistent immune imbalance, and oxidative stress induced by PCOS exacerbate the progression of PDD. Simultaneously, PDD might increase the risk of PCOS through disturbing the gut microbiota composition and inducing low-grade inflammation and oxidative stress. In addition, genetic or epigenetic predisposition and lower socioeconomic status are the common risk factors for both diseases. In this review, we will present the latest evidence of the bidirectional association between PCOS and PDD from epidemiological, mechanistic, and interventional studies. A deep understanding on their bidirectional association will be beneficial to provide novel strategies for the treatment of PCOS and PDD.

Base-metal oxide semiconductor electrodes for PPCP degradation: Ti-doped α-Fe2O3 for sulfosalicylic acid oxidation as an example.

Sulfosalicylic acid is a typical pharmaceutical and personal care product with high toxicity, environmental persistence, and low biodegradability. Electrochemical oxidation has been demonstrated to be a promising way for hazardous organics treatment, but it is severely limited by the high cost and resource shortage of electrode materials. Base-metal oxide semiconductor anodes have the merits of low cost, diversity, and tunable energy levels for charge transfer, and thus may be alternatives to the electrodes for wastewater treatment. Herein, we found that Ti-doped α-Fe2O3, as an example, could be efficient for sulfosalicylic acid oxidation, reaching comparable faraday efficiency of sulfosalicylic acid to that of the boron-doped diamond electrode. Ti-doped electrodes exhibited both higher removal rates and current efficiency compared to the undoped. This could be mainly ascribed to the enhanced charge transfer rate constant. Kinetic analysis shows that the apparent reaction order, in terms of sulfosalicylic acid in bulk solution, depended on applied potential and pollutant concentration. Mechanism study shows that the oxidation of sulfosalicylic acid was mainly through indirect pathway. Moreover, the oxidation products were determined and the oxidation mechanism was proposed. This study may open a door to employ base-metal oxide semiconductor anodes for the efficient treatment of organic wastewater.

Identification of a Prognostic Pyroptostic-Related Model for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Based on LASSO-Cox Regression Analysis.

Pyroptosis is associated with the biological behavior of the tumor and with tumor immunity. We investigated the effect of pyroptosis on the tumor microenvironment and tumor immunity in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). RNA sequencing data and clinical information of HNSCC were downloaded from TCGA. Differentially expressed pyroptosis-related genes in HNSCC were identified between HNSCC and normal tissue. Pyroptosis-related classification of HNSCC was conducted based on consensus clustering analysis. LASSO-Cox regression analysis was used to construct a prognostic risk model-based pyroptosis-related gene. Evaluation of the immune microenvironment was conducted in prognostic risk signature based on pyroptosis-related genes. Total 22 differentially expressed pyroptosis-related genes were identified in HNSCC. Six prognostic-related genes were included to construct a LASSO regression model with a prognostic risk score = (0.133 ∗ GSDME (DFNA5) + 0.084 ∗ NOD1 + 0.039 ∗ IL6 + 0.003 ∗ IL1B + 0.084 ∗ CASP3 + 0.028 ∗ NLRP2). Higher fraction of resting memory CD4+ T cells and macrophages M1 was infiltrated in the high-risk group compared with the low-risk group in HNSCC. Furthermore, the PI3K-Akt signaling pathway and the IL-17 signaling pathways were identified to be involved in the development of high-risk HNSCC. Our study constructed a prognostic risk signature based on pyroptosis-related genes, which emphasizes the critical importance of pyroptosis in HNSCC and provided a novel perspective of HNSCC therapy.

Causal relationship between bipolar disorder and inflammatory bowel disease: A bidirectional two-sample mendelian randomization study.

Background: Growing evidence suggests a bidirectional association between bipolar disorder (BD) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD); however, observational studies are prone to confounding, making causal inference and directional determination of these associations difficult. Methods: We performed bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) and selected single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with BD and IBD as instrumental variables (IV). SNPs and genetic associations with BD and IBD were obtained from the latest genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in Europeans (BD: cases/controls: 20352/31358; IBD: 12882/21770; Crohn's disease (CD): 5,956/14927; ulcerative colitis (UC): 6968/20464). The inverse-variance-weighted method was the major method used in MR analyses. MR-Egger, weight mode, simple mode, and weighted median were used for quality control. Results: Genetically predicted BD (per log-odds ratio increase) was significantly positively associated with risk of IBD (OR: 1.18, 95% CI: 1.04-1.33), and UC (OR = 1.19, 95% CI: 1.05-1.35), but not CD (OR = 1.18, 95% CI: 0.95-1.48). The validation analysis found that combined OR of IBD, CD, and UC increased per log-OR of BD were 1.16(95% CI: 1.02-1.31), 1.20(95% CI: 0.98-1.48) 1.17(95% CI: 1.02-1.35), respectively. In contrast, no causal relationship was identified between genetically influenced IBD and BD. Conclusion: Our results confirm a causal relationship between BD and IBD, which may influence clinical decisions on the management of BD patients with intestinal symptoms. Although the reverse MR results did not support a causal effect of IBD on BD, the effect of the IBD active period on BD remains to be further investigated.

Toxic effects and transcriptional responses in zebrafish liver cells following perfluorooctanoic acid exposure.

As a typical type of persistent organic pollutant, perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) is pervasive in the environment. Multiple studies have found that PFOA has hepatotoxicity, but the mechanism remains poorly understood. In this study, the toxic effects of different concentrations of PFOA on zebrafish liver cells were systematically assessed by recording cell survival, ultrastructural observations, and transcriptome analyses. The results showed that the inhibition of cell viability and the massive accumulation of autophagic vacuoles were observed at 400 µM PFOA, while transcriptomic changes occurred with treatments of 1 and 400 µM PFOA. The transcription levels of 1055 (977 up- and 78 down-regulated genes) and 520 (446 up- and 74 down-regulated genes) genes were significantly changed after treatment with 1 and 400 µM PFOA, respectively. Based on Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) enrichment analysis, significant expression changes were observed in autophagy, tight junction, signal transduction, immune system, endocrine system, and metabolism-related pathways, indicating that such processes were greatly affected by PFOA exposure. The findings of this study will provide a scientific basis for the toxic effects and potential toxic mechanisms of PFOA on zebrafish, and provide information for ecological risk assessments.

Distribution characteristics of microplastics in typical organic solid wastes and their biologically treated products.

Enormous production, use, and disposal of plastic goods present great challenges to environmental sustainability. Microplastics (MPs) are added into land which may serve as a larger MP repository than the ocean. Organic solid wastes and their biologically treated products can easily enter the soil and accumulate in soil systems. The current work deals with the extraction, identification, and distribution of MPs in typical organic solid wastes (food waste, livestock manure, and sludge) and their biologically treated products. The ecological risks of MPs were also preliminarily evaluated. The results showed that the abundance of MPs in organic solid wastes was in order of sludge > food waste > livestock manure. The main categories of MPs were fibers and films including PE, PP, and PET. The colors of MPs were mainly black, red, blue, and green. MPs generally exhibited bulges, depressions, cracks, or holes after biological treatment, and would be degraded into smaller fragments with potentially greater ecological risks. It was also found that the polymer risk index (H) of MPs in semi-dynamic composting products, compound fertilizer, and biogas residue of sedimentation tank sludge were higher than 10, reflecting their high ecological risk. Thus, it is recommended that the input of (micro)plastics to organic solid wastes streams should be minimized and related management should be established for the utilization of organic solid wastes and their biologically treated products.

CircBCAR3 accelerates esophageal cancer tumorigenesis and metastasis via sponging miR-27a-3p.

RATIONALE: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) have been demonstrated to contribute to esophageal cancer progression. CircBCAR3 (hsa_circ_0007624) is predicted to be differentially expressed in esophageal cancer by bioinformatics analysis. We investigated the oncogenic roles and biogenesis of circBCAR3 in esophageal carcinogenesis. METHODS: Functions of circBCAR3 on cancer cell proliferation, migration, invasion, and ferroptosis were explored using the loss-of-function assays. A xenograft mouse model was used to reveal effects of circBCAR3 on xenograft growth and lung metastasis. The upstream and downstream mechanisms of circBCAR3 were investigated by bioinformatics analysis and confirmed by RNA immunoprecipitation and luciferase reporter assays. The dysregulated genes in hypoxia-induced esophageal cancer cells were identified using RNA-seq. RESULTS: CircBCAR3 was highly expressed in esophageal cancer tissues and cells and its expression was increased by hypoxia in vitro. Silencing of circBCAR3 repressed the proliferation, migration, invasion, and ferroptosis of esophageal cancer cells in vitro, as well as inhibited the growth and metastasis of esophageal xenograft in mice in vivo. The hypoxia-induced promotive effects on esophageal cancer cell migration and ferroptosis were rescued by circBCAR3 knockdown. Mechanistically, circBCAR3 can interact with miR-27a-3p by the competitive endogenous RNA mechanism to upregulate transportin-1 (TNPO1). Furthermore, our investigation indicated that splicing factor quaking (QKI) is a positive regulator of circBCAR3 via targeting the introns flanking the hsa_circ_0007624-formed exons in BCAR3 pre-mRNA. Hypoxia upregulates E2F7 to transcriptionally activate QKI. CONCLUSION: Our research demonstrated that splicing factor QKI promotes circBCAR3 biogenesis, which accelerates esophageal cancer tumorigenesis via binding with miR-27a-3p to upregulate TNPO1. These data suggested circBCAR3 as a potential target in the treatment of esophageal cancer. Hypoxia induces the upregulation of E2F7, which transcriptionally activates QKI in esophageal cancer cells. QKI increases the formation of circBCAR3 by juxtaposing the circularized exons. CircBCAR3 binds with miR-27a-3p to promote TNPO1 expression. CircBCAR3 promoted the proliferation, migration, invasion, and ferroptosis of esophageal cancer cells by miR-27a-3p.

Evaluation of modified cold-atmospheric pressure plasma (MCAP) for the treatment of peri-implantitis in beagles.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of adjunctive use of modified cold-atmospheric pressure plasma (MCAP) to surgically mechanical debridement (MD) on peri-implantitis (PI) in beagles. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Bilateral mandibles of beagles with PI, which induced by cotton ligature twined with steel in sub-marginal around the implant, were randomly divided into two groups: MD in conjunction with 2% CHX irrigation (control group) and MD with adjunctive intervention of MCAP (plasma group). Sulcus bleeding index (SBI), probing depth (PD) and bone height (BH) were examined before and after intervention using computed tomography and histological staining. Additionally, interleukin (IL)-1ß, IL-6 and IL-17 levels in peri-implant sulcular fluid (PISF) were measured by ELISA. RESULTS: A significant improvement in SBI, PD and BH was found in the plasma group (p < .05) when compared with the control group after three months of intervention. In addition, IL-1ß and IL-17, but not IL-6 levels decreased (p < .05) in the plasma group compared with the control group after intervention. CONCLUSIONS: The adjunctive use of MCAP to MD for PI can enhance bone formation around the implant and inhibit the inflammatory response. The application of MCAP could be considered a favourable adjunct to MD for PI.

Cloning and characterisation of a Δ9 fatty acyl desaturase-like gene from the red claw crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) and its expression analysis under cold stress.

Desaturase is one of the key enzymes in the unsaturated fatty acid synthesis pathway. Δ9 desaturase catalyzes the synthesis of oleic acid from stearic acid by introducing double bonds in the 9th and 10th carbon chains, thereby increasing the content of MUFAs in the body. In order to explore the main function of the Δ9 desaturase gene under low temperature stress, RACE-PCR technology was used in this study to clone the full-length sequence of the CqFAD9-like from the hepatopancreas of red claw crayfish, Cherax quadricarinatus. The full length of the sequence is 1236 bp, and the open reading frame is 1041 bp, encoding 346 amino acid residues. The 5 'UTR is 116 bp, the 3' UTR is 79 bp, and the 3 'UTR contains a PloyA tail. The predicted theoretical isoelectric point and molecular weight are 8.68 and 40.28 kDa, respectively. Homology analysis showed that the sequence had the highest similarity with FAD9 from crustaceans. The results of real-time PCR showed that the expression level of this gene was highest in the hepatopancreas, which was significantly higher than other tissues, followed by the ovaries, brain ganglion and stomach. At the same time, the expression of the CqFAD9-like in hepatopancreas of crayfish cultured at 25, 20, 15 and 9 °C for four weeks was detected. The results showed that expression of the FAD9 gene increased gradually with decreasing temperature, indicating that metabolic desaturation might play a regulatory role during cold stress.

Facile synthesis of highly active Ti/Sb-SnO2 electrode by sol-gel spinning technique for landfill leachate treatment.

Highly active Ti/Sb-SnO2 electrodes were fabricated using sol-gel spin coating procedure, which exhibited a rough, uniform and multilayer coating structure. The effects of different Sb-SnO2 film layers on the physiochemical, electrochemical properties and pollutant degradability of electrodes and the mechanism were evaluated on a systematic basis. The electrodes with more active layers exhibited higher electro-catalytic performance. Upon exceeding 8 layers, the promotion effect of the coating was reduced. Considering various factors, this paper recommends preparing Ti/Sb-SnO2 electrodes coated with 8 layers to obtain higher electro-catalytic ability in landfill leachate treatment. The specific number of coating layers should be determined according to the electrode requirements. This work provided a theoretical basis and technical support for the preparation of Ti-SnO2 electrodes with high electro-catalytic activity and stability, while it still remains a great challenge to achieve an excellent balance between performance and stability before Ti/Sb-SnO2 electrodes can be implemented on a large scale in wastewater treatment.

Microplastics in composting of rural domestic waste: abundance, characteristics, and release from the surface of macroplastics.

The rural domestic waste (RDW) compost has been widely used in agriculture and horticulture, but little is known about microplastics (MPs) in RDW composting. The current work deals with the abundance and characteristics of MPs in RDW composting, and the effects of composting processes on the composition of MPs. Compost samples from two RDW treatment stations were investigated, and a lab-scale experiment was carried out to verify the possible release of MPs from macroplastics (>25 mm) contained in the RDW during composting. MPs were identified using stereo-microscope and µ-FTIR. The average abundance of MPs (0.05-5 mm) in the RDW compost products was 2400 ± 358 items/kg (dry weight), and the main MPs shapes were fibers and films. Polyester, polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE) were the most common polymer types. MPs having a size <1 mm accounted for more than 50% of the total quantity. With the progress of composting, the proportion of MPs having size <1 mm increased, and more foam MPs were observed in the late stage of composting. Under the influence of mechanical force, oxidation and biodegradation, a piece of expanded polystyrene (EPS), PP and PE macroplastic could release 4-63 MPs particles during the composting. Thus, the RDW compost was a significant source of MPs in soils, and the MPs in compost products were closely related to the quantity and type of plastic waste present in RDW, which helped to suggest better MPs control strategies.