PHF5A promotes esophageal squamous cell carcinoma progression via stabilizing VEGFA.

BACKGROUND: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the main subtype of esophageal cancer. Current therapeutic effect is far from satisfaction. Hence, identifying susceptible genes and potential targets is necessary for therapy of ESCC patients. METHODS: Plant homeodomain (PHD)-finger domain protein 5 A (PHF5A) expression in ESCC tissues was examined by immunohistochemistry. RNA interference was used for in vitro loss-of-function experiments. In vivo assay was performed using xenograft mice model by subcutaneous injection. Besides, microarray assay and co-immunoprecipitation experiments were used to study the potential downstream molecules of PHF5A in ESCC. The molecular mechanism between PHF5A and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) was explored by a series of ubiquitination related assays. RESULTS: We found that PHF5A was highly expressed in ESCC tissues compared to normal tissues and that was correlated with poor prognosis of ESCC. Loss-of-function experiments revealed that PHF5A silence remarkably inhibited cell proliferation, migration, and induced apoptosis as well as cell cycle arrest. Consistently, in vivo assay demonstrated that PHF5A deficiency was able to attenuate tumor growth. Furthermore, molecular studies showed that PHF5A silencing promoted VEGFA ubiquitination by interacting with MDM2, thereby regulating VEGFA protein expression. Subsequently, in rescue experiments, our data suggested that ESCC cell viability and migration promoted by PHF5A were dependent on intact VEGFA. Finally, PI3K/AKT signaling rescue was able to alleviate shPHF5A-mediated cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. CONCLUSION: PHF5A is a tumor promoter in ESCC, which is dependent on VEGFA and PI3K/AKT signaling. PHF5A might serve as a potential therapeutic target for ESCC treatment.

Efficacy and safety of anlotinib plus anti-PD-1 agents in patients with refractory advanced biliary tract cancers.

BACKGROUND: Anlotinib has demonstrated promising anti-tumor efficacy in various solid tumors. Additionally, there is evidence suggesting that immune therapy can enhance the systemic responses of anlotinib. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety of combining anlotinib with PD-1 inhibitors compared to fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy as a second-line treatment option for advanced biliary tract cancers (BTCs). METHODS: A total of 242 patients with BTCs were screened at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from October 2015 to October 2022. Among them, 78 patients who received either anlotinib plus PD-1 inhibitors (AP) or fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy (FB) as second-line treatment were included in the study. The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS), and the secondary endpoints included objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR), overall survival (OS), safety, and predictive tumor biomarkers. RESULTS: Among the 78 patients with BTCs, 39 patients received AP, while 39 patients were administered FB. The ORR in the AP group was 20.5%, compared to 5.1% in the FB group. The DCR was 87.2% in the AP group and 66.7% in the FB group. The AP group demonstrated significantly better ORR and DCR compared to the FB group (p = 0.042, p = 0.032). The median PFS and OS in the AP group were 7.9 months (95% CI: 4.35-11.45) and 13.9 months (95% CI: 5.39-22.41), respectively. In the FB group, the median PFS and OS were 4.1 months (95% CI: 3.17-5.03) and 13.2 months (95% CI: 8.72-17.68), respectively. The AP group exhibited significantly better median PFS than the FB group (p = 0.027). In the subgroup analysis, patients without liver metastasis had a much longer PFS in the AP group compared to the FB group (14.3 vs. 5.5 months, p = 0.016). Similarly, patients with CEA ≤ 5 µg/L also demonstrated a longer PFS in the AP group compared to the FB group (8.7 vs. 3.9 months, p = 0.008). CONCLUSIONS: The combination of anlotinib and PD-1 inhibitors demonstrated a promising clinical effect compared to fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy in the second-line treatment of refractory advanced BTCs. Liver metastases and CEA levels may serve as predictive factors for identifying patients who may benefit from AP therapy.

[Outcomes and measurements of randomized controlled trial for traditional Chinese medicine in treatment of endometriosis].

This study aims to analyze the outcomes and measurements of randomized controlled trial(RCT) for traditional Chinese medicine(TCM) treatment of endometriosis(EM) and provide a basis for the building of the core outcome set(COS) of EM. The RCT for TCM treatment of EM was retrieved from medical literature databases with the time interval from inception to February 3, 2022. The Cochrane risk of bias assessment tool was employed to evaluate the risk of bias of the included RCT, and descriptive analyses of the extracted information were carried out. A total of 519 RCTs were included, with the sample sizes ranging from 28-582 patients and 239 outcome indicators(8 outcome indicators per RCT on average). According to the functional properties, the reported outcome indicators were classified into 7 indicators: clinical efficacy assessment, indicators of clinical symptoms and signs, TCM symptom efficacy indicators, physical and chemical examinations, quality of life, long-term prognosis, and safety events. All the 519 RCTs had problems, such as the lack of differentiation between primary and secondary outcome indicators(1.73% RCTs reported such differen-tiation), poor quality, confused criteria for composite outcome indicators and arbitrary combination of indicators(45 criteria for the single outcome indicator of efficiency), and messy measurements(as many as 18 measurements for TCM symptom score). In addition, as a chronic disease, EM requires long-term management. The outcome indicators vary for the patients in different disease stages, such as EM pain, EM infertility, and post-operative EM, while the specific outcome indicator sets for different EM populations remain to be developed. In addition, the time point of measurement for EM long-term outcomes remains unclear, and the definition of TCM syndromes lacks standards. The RCT for TCM treatment had a variety of problems, such as the lack of differentiation of outcome indicators, confusion in criteria and measurements, lack of specific outcome indicator sets for different EM populations, and unclear time points for long-term outcomes. Therefore, the studies about COS need to be carried out urgently.

Molecular landscape and clinical significance of exon 11 mutations in KIT gene among patients with gastrointestinal stromal tumor: a retrospective exploratory study.

Objective: This aim of this study was to investigate the prognostic significance of KIT exon 11 mutation subtypes in patients with GISTs. Methods: A total of 233 consecutive patients diagnosed with GISTs at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from January 2013 to August 2018 were included in this study. The prevalence and mutation landscape of exon 11 in KIT was presented. The clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis among the different mutation subtypes were analyzed. All the statistical analyses were performed by SPSS22.0. Results: Somatic mutational analysis indicated that point mutations were the most frequently detected mutations followed by deletions & compound mutations and insertion and tandem duplication mutations in the stomach. Point mutations showed a low mitotic count and a high risk of recurrence, and deletions and compound mutations have a high mitotic count while insertions and tandem duplication mutations showed a low mitotic count with an intermediate recurrence risk. Point mutations and deletions frequently occurred in sequence region codons 550-560 of exon 11, while compound mutations, insertion, and tandem duplication were mainly detected in codons 557-559, 572-580, and 577-581, respectively. The multi-variation analysis demonstrated that tumor diameter and high recurrence risk groups had worse prognostic values. However, mutation types were not significant predictors of relapse-free survival (RFS) in GISTs. Survival analysis suggested no significant difference in RFS between the 557/558 deletion and the other deletions. Conclusion: This study suggested that mutations in exon 11 of the KIT gene were common with intermediate/high recurrence risk in GISTs patients. Tumor diameter ≥5 cm, and deletions mutations might predict a worse prognosis.

The Effect of Mushroom Dietary Fiber on the Gut Microbiota and Related Health Benefits: A Review.

Mushroom dietary fiber is a type of bioactive macromolecule derived from the mycelia, fruiting bodies, or sclerotia of edible or medicinal fungi. The use of mushroom dietary fiber as a prebiotic has recently gained significant attention for providing health benefits to the host by promoting the growth of beneficial microorganisms; therefore, mushroom dietary fiber has promising prospects for application in the functional food industry and in drug development. This review summarizes methods for the preparation and modification of mushroom dietary fiber, its degradation and metabolism in the intestine, its impact on the gut microbiota community, and the generation of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs); this review also systematically summarizes the beneficial effects of mushroom dietary fiber on host health. Overall, this review aims to provide theoretical guidance and a fresh perspective for the prebiotic application of mushroom dietary fiber in the development of new functional foods and drugs.

Iron induces B cell pyroptosis through Tom20-Bax-caspase-gasdermin E signaling to promote inflammation post-spinal cord injury.

BACKGROUND: Immune inflammatory responses play an important role in spinal cord injury (SCI); however, the beneficial and detrimental effects remain controversial. Many studies have described the role of neutrophils, macrophages, and T lymphocytes in immune inflammatory responses after SCI, although little is known about the role of B lymphocytes, and immunosuppression can easily occur after SCI. METHODS: A mouse model of SCI was established, and HE staining and Nissl staining were performed to observe the pathological changes. The size and morphology of the spleen were examined, and the effects of SCI on spleen function and B cell levels were detected by flow cytometry and ELISA. To explore the specific mechanism of immunosuppression after SCI, B cells from the spleens of SCI model mice were isolated using magnetic beads and analyzed by 4D label-free quantitative proteomics. The level of inflammatory cytokines and iron ions were measured, and the expression of proteins related to the Tom20 pathway was quantified by western blotting. To clarify the relationship between iron ions and B cell pyroptosis after SCI, we used FeSO4 and CCCP, which induce oxidative stress to stimulate SCI, to interfere with B cell processes. siRNA transfection to knock down Tom20 (Tom20-KD) in B cells and human B lymphocytoma cell was used to verify the key role of Tom20. To further explore the effect of iron ions on SCI, we used deferoxamine (DFO) and iron dextran (ID) to interfere with SCI processes in mice. The level of iron ions in splenic B cells and the expression of proteins related to the Tom20-Bax-caspase-gasdermin E (GSDME) pathway were analyzed. RESULTS: SCI could damage spleen function and lead to a decrease in B cell levels; SCI upregulated the expression of Tom20 protein in the mitochondria of B cells; SCI could regulate the concentration of iron ions and activate the Tom20-Bax-caspase-GSDME pathway to induce B cell pyroptosis. Iron ions aggravated CCCP-induced B cell pyroptosis and human B lymphocytoma pyroptosis by activating the Tom20-Bax-caspase-GSDME pathway. DFO could reduce inflammation and promote repair after SCI by inhibiting Tom20-Bax-caspase-GSDME-induced B cell pyroptosis. CONCLUSIONS: Iron overload activates the Tom20-Bax-caspase-GSDME pathway after SCI, induces B cell pyroptosis, promotes inflammation, and aggravates the changes caused by SCI. This may represent a novel mechanism through which the immune inflammatory response is induced after SCI and may provide a new key target for the treatment of SCI.

Diagnostic and prognostic role of circRNAs in pancreatic cancer: a meta-analysis.

Background: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are types of endogenous noncoding RNAs produced by selective splicing that are expressed highly specifically in various organisms and tissues and have numerous clinical implications in the regulation of cancer development and progression. Since circRNA is resistant to digestion by ribonucleases and has a long half-life, there is increasing evidence that circRNA can be used as an ideal candidate biomarker for the early diagnosis and prognosis of tumors. In this study, we aimed to reveal the diagnostic and prognostic value of circRNA in human pancreatic cancer (PC). Methods: A systematic search for publications from inception to 22 July 2022 was conducted on Embase, PubMed, Web of Science (WOS), and the Cochrane Library databases. Available studies that correlated circRNA expression in tissue or serum with the clinicopathological, diagnostic, and prognostic values of PC patients were enrolled. Odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to evaluate clinical pathological characteristics. Area under the curve (AUC), sensitivity, and specificity were adopted to assess diagnostic value. Hazard ratios (HRs) were utilized to assess disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). Results: This meta-analysis enrolled 32 eligible studies, including six on diagnosis and 21 on prognosis, which accounted for 2,396 cases from 245 references. For clinical parameters, high expression of carcinogenic circRNA was significantly associated with degree of differentiation (OR = 1.85, 95% CI = 1.47-2.34), TNM stage (OR = 0.46, 95% CI = 0.35-0.62), lymph node metastasis (OR = 0.39, 95% CI = 0.32-0.48), and distant metastasis (OR = 0.26, 95% CI = 0.13-0.51). As for clinical diagnostic utility, circRNA could discriminate patients with pancreatic cancer from controls, with an AUC of 0.86 (95% CI: 0.82-0.88), a relatively high sensitivity of 84%, and a specificity of 80% in tissue. In terms of prognostic significance, carcinogenic circRNA was correlated with poor OS (HR = 2.00, 95% CI: 1.76-2.26) and DFS (HR = 1.96, 95% CI: 1.47-2.62). Conclusion: In summary, this study demonstrated that circRNA may act as a significant diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for pancreatic cancer.

Phase Engineering of Molybdenum Carbide/Oxide for Highly-Efficient Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Production.

Molybdenum carbide is one of non-precious metal materials and it is a promising electrocatalyst for hydrogen production. Synthesis and improvement of molybdenum carbide's catalytic performance is of great significance. Herein, carbon-based Mo2 C with hybrid phase of MoO2 was fabricated by matching the composition of Mo and C derived from pomelo peel and optimizing raw carbon amount and prolysis temperature. The resulting MoO2 /Mo2 C@C is composed of loose microspheres with mesoporous microstructure and is self-assembled from nanoparticles. The results show that MoO2 /Mo2 C@C2 material exhibits excellent HER performance and only a low overpotentials of 143 mV is needed to drive the current density of 10 mA cm-2 in alkaline solution, and Tafel slopes are only 63.4 mV dec-1 , respectively. Notably, it has potential application at low overpotentials to drive large current density and this strategy also provides a universal route to prepare non-noble metal catalyst with hybrid phase of oxide/carbide.

Simultaneously mapping loci related to two plant architecture traits by phenotypic recombination BSA/BSR in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.).

KEY MESSAGE: We developed a new method phenotypic recombination BSA/BSR (PR-BSA/BSR), which could simultaneously identify the candidate genomic regions associated with two traits in a segregating population. Bulked segregant analysis sequencing (BSA-seq) has been widely used for identifying the genomic regions affecting a certain trait. In this study, we developed a modified BSA/bulked segregant RNA-sequencing (BSR-seq) method, which we named phenotypic recombination BSA/BSR (PR-BSA/BSR), to simultaneously identify candidate genomic regions associated with two traits in a segregating population. Lateral branch angle (LBA) and flower-branch pattern (FBP) are two important traits associated with the peanut plant architecture because they affect the planting density and light use efficiency. We generated an F6 population (with two segregating traits) derived from a cross between the inbred lines Pingdu9616 (erect and sequential; ES-type) and Florunner (spreading and alternating; SA-type). The selection of bulks with extreme phenotypes was a key step in this study. Specifically, 30 individuals with recombinant phenotypes [i.e., spreading and sequential (SS-type) and erect and alternating (EA-type)] were selected to generate two bulks. The transcriptomes of individuals were sequenced and then the loci related to LBA and FBP were simultaneously detected via a ΔSNP-index strategy, which involved the direction of positive and negative peaks in the ∆SNP-index plot. The LBA-related locus was mapped to a 6.82 Mb region (101,743,223-108,564,267 bp) on chromosome 15, whereas the FBP-related locus was mapped to a 2.16 Mb region (117,682,534-119,846,824 bp) on chromosome 12. Furthermore, the marker-based classical QTL mapping method was used to analyze the PF-F6 population, which confirmed our PR-BSA/BSR results. Therefore, the PR-BSA/BSR method produces accurate and reliable data.

Palladium-Catalyzed Alkyne Hydrocyanation toward Ligand-Controlled Stereodivergent Synthesis of (E)- and (Z)-Trisubstituted Acrylonitriles.

We herein describe a palladium-catalyzed hydrocyanation of propiolamides for the stereodivergent synthesis of trisubstituted acrylonitriles. This synthetic method tolerated various primary, secondary and tertiary propiolamides. The cautious selection of a suitable ligand is essential to the success of this stereodivergent process. Control experiments indicate the intermediacy of E-acrylonitriles, which lead to Z-acrylonitriles via isomerization. The density functional theory calculations suggests that the bidentate ligand L2 enables a feasible cyclometallation/isomerization pathway for the E to Z isomerization, while the monodentate ligand L1 inhibits the isomerization, leading to divergent stereoselectivity. The usefulness of this method can be demonstrated by the readily derivatization of products to give various E- and Z-trisubstituted alkenes. In addition, the E- and Z-acrylonitrile products have also been successfully employed in cycloaddition reactions.

Efficacy of Chinese Herbal Medicines on Pregnancy Outcomes in Patients with Endometriosis in Long-Term Management: A Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the factors related to pregnancy of endometriosis and whether Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) can improve pregnancy outcomes in patients with endometriosis in long-term management. METHODS: This multicenter cohort study retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of endometriosis patients with fertility needs from January 2019 to November 2019. A total of 252 patients with endometriosis from 5 level-III Grade A hospitals in Beijing were included in this study. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed for the relevant factors. The propensity score matching (PSM) function of SPSS software was used to match the CHMs group with the non-CHMs group. The pregnancy rate and live birth rate were analyzed. RESULTS: The results of univariate analysis showed that age, disease course, presence of infertility, presence of adenomyosis, time after surgery or use of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-a), use of CHMs and follow-up time were influencing factors of pregnancy in endometriosis patients (P<0.05). The results of multivariate analysis showed that age, presence of adenomyosis, time after surgery or use of GnRH-a, use of CHMs and follow-up time were independent factors affecting pregnancy in endometriosis patients, among which, age ⩾35 years old, presence of adenomyosis and follow-up time >6 months were independent risk factors (OR=0.445, 0.348, 0.140, respectively, P<0.05), time after surgery or use of GnRH-a ⩽6 months and use of CHMs were independent protective factors (OR=3.839, 3.842, respectively, P<0.05). After PSM, 99 pairs of two groups were matched successfully. The pregnancy rate of the CHMs group was higher than that of the non-CHMs group [55.56% (55/99) vs. 36.36% (36/99), P<0.05]. The live birth rate of the CHMs group was higher than that of the non-CHMs group [49.49% (49/99) vs. 35.35% (35/99), P<0.05]. CONCLUSION: CHMs can effectively improve clinical pregnancy rate and live birth rate of patients with endometriosis in the chronic disease management.

Chinese Herbal Medicine, Alternative or Complementary, for Endometriosis-Associated Pain: A Meta-Analysis.

Current medical treatments for endometriosis-associated pain (EAP) have limitations, including symptom recurrence and hormonal side effects. For this reason, it is important to elucidate any alternative or complementary treatments available, while Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) shows potential to be this treatment. This study aims to provide evidence for the efficacy and safety of CHM for EAP. Randomized control trials comparing CHM to other treatments for EAP in women with endometriosis were considered eligible, and they were searched for in Medline, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and ClinicalTrials.gov, as well as in the Chinese databases Sino-Med and CNKI, from inception to October 2021. Numerous outcomes were put through meta-analysis using a weighted mean difference and a 95% CI, and the results of dichotomous data were presented as a pooled RR with a 95% CI. A total of 34 eligible studies with 3389 participants were included. Compared with no treatment, there was a statistically significant pooled benefit of CHM on dysmenorrhea at the end of 3-month treatment, and these effects continued for 3 months, but not 9 months, after treatment. Compared with conventional therapy, a significant difference was found in the levels of pelvic pain with a lower rate of hot flush and irregular vaginal bleeding at the end of treatment for 3 months, but not after treatment. Comparing combined treatment with CHM and conventional therapy with conventional therapy alone, significant decreases were found in dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, and pelvic pain after a 3-month treatment cycle, and in dysmenorrhea after a 4-month treatment cycle with a lower hot flash rate. In conclusion, CHM, used alone or in combination with conventional therapies, appears to have benefits in relieving EAP with fewer side effects than traditional treatment.

Status and related factors of postoperative recurrence of ovarian endometriosis: a cross-sectional study of 874 cases.

PURPOSE: Exploring the status and related factors of postoperative recurrence of ovarian endometriosis. METHODS: This study analyzed the results of questionnaires conducted in 27 hospitals across the country from January 2019 to November 2021. All women were divided into recurrence group and non-recurrence group to analyze the recurrence rate and related factors after ovarian endometriosis surgery. RESULTS: The recurrence rates of ovarian endometriosis within 1 year, 1-2 years, 2-3 years, 3-4 years, 4-5 years and more than 5 years were 6.27%, 35.85%, 55.38%, 65.00% and 56.82%, respectively. Significant differences were found between two groups in terms of age at surgery (OR: 0.342, 95%CI: 0.244-0.481, P < 0.001), presence of dysmenorrhea (OR: 1.758, 95%CI: 1.337-2.312, P < 0.001), presence of adenomyosis (OR: 1.948, 95%CI: 1.417-2.678, P < 0.001) and family history of endometriosis or adenomyosis (OR: 1.678, 95%CI: 1.035-2.721, P = 0.021). The age at surgery (OR: 0.358, 95%CI: 0.253-0.506, P < 0.001), presence of dysmenorrhea (OR: 1.379, 95%CI: 1.026-1.853, P = 0.033) and presence of adenomyosis (OR: 1.799, 95%CI: 1.275-2.537, P = 0.001) were significantly associated with endometrioma recurrence in multivariate analysis. No significant associations were found between the recurrence rate and body mass index (BMI), educational background, age of menarche, gravida, parity, uterine leiomyoma, endometrial polyps or postoperative use of gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-a). CONCLUSIONS: Dysmenorrhea and presence of adenomyosis are independent risk factors for postoperative recurrence of ovarian endometriosis, and older age is an independent protective factor for postoperative recurrence.

Constructing Netlike Nanosheets of ZnO/BiOCl with Heterojunction as Robust Material for Electrochemical Amine Detection.

The electrochemical sensing is a potential method for detection of trace toxic substance. Herein, the heterojunction of netlike ZnO/BiOCl nanosheets was constructed for the enhanced electrochemical detection of ammonia. Cyclic voltammetry and linear sweep voltammetry were used to investigate the electrochemical performance. The results show that the ZnO/BiOCl-modified electrode exhibits higher sensitivity towards ammonia compared with the ZnO and BiOCl-based electrodes, which is ascribed to band structure and fast electron transfer. The high response of 11.8 µA mM-1 and a low detection limit (LOD) of 0.25 µM are achieved. In addition, the ZnO/BiOCl material exhibits high selectivity, repeatability and stability. The better linear relationship between concentration and current (R2 =0.99) is significant for quantitative detection of ammonia, implying that netlike ZnO/BiOCl nanosheets can serve as electrochemical sensing platform for detecting toxic substance. This research provides a strategy for fabricating two-dimensional netlike materials and regulating heterojunctions used for electrochemical application.

Feasibility and tolerability of sintilimab plus anlotinib as the second-line therapy for patients with advanced biliary tract cancers: An open-label, single-arm, phase II clinical trial.

Patients with biliary tract cancer (BTC) were associated with poor prognosis and limited therapeutic options after first-line therapy currently. In this study, we sought to evaluate the feasibility and tolerability of sintilimab plus anlotinib as the second-line treatment for patients with advanced BTC. Eligible patients had histologically confirmed locally advanced unresectable or metastatic BTC and failed after the first-line treatment were recruited. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS). Simultaneously, association between clinical outcomes and genomic profiling and gut microbiome were explored to identify the potential biomarkers for this regimen. Twenty patients were consecutively enrolled and received study therapy. The trail met its primary endpoint with a median OS of 12.3 months (95% CI: 10.1-14.5). Only four (20%) patients were observed of the grade 3 treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) and no grade 4 or 5 TRAEs were detected. Mutation of AGO2 was correlated with a significantly longer OS. Abundance of Proteobacteria was associated with inferior clinical response. Therefore, sintilimab plus anlotinib demonstrated encouraging anti-tumor activity with a tolerable safety profile and deserved to be investigated in larger randomized trials for patients with advanced BTC subsequently.

Insight into Greenhouse Gases Emissions and Energy Consumption of Different Full-Scale Wastewater Treatment Plants via ECAM Tool.

Greenhouse gas (GHG) production is one of the urgent problems to be solved in the wastewater treatment industry in the context of "carbon neutrality". In this study, the carbon emissions and energy consumption of typical wastewater treatment processes in China were evaluated, starting from different cities and water treatment plants. Tool of Energy Performance and Carbon Emission Assessment and Monitoring (ECAM) was used. By comparing the influent BOD5, it was found that the energy consumption for wastewater treatment was positively correlated with the influent organic load. The annual CH4 emission of Xi'an WWTP can reach 19,215 t CO2eq. Moreover, GHGs are closely related to the wastewater treatment process chosen. WWTP B of Kunming used only an anaerobic process without continuous aeration, with an average monthly energy consumption of 8.63 × 105 kW·h. The proportion of recoverable biogas was about 90% in the GHG discharged by the traditional process. However, the anaerobic digestion-thermoelectric cogeneration process can make the recovery of the biogas utilization ratio reach 100%. Compared to the Shuozhou WWTP and WWTP A of Kunming, the Strass WWTP served the smallest population and had the largest treatment capacity, reaching the lowest energy consumption, consuming only 23,670 kW·h per month. The evaluation and analysis of ECAM provide data support and research foundation for the wastewater treatment plants to improve energy utilization and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Efficacy and Safety of Chinese Herbal Medicine for Endometriosis Associated Pain.

Endometriosis is a chronic, estrogen-dependent condition that causes dysmenorrhea and pelvic pain. Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has been used for endometriosis for many years in Asian populations. This is a retrospective study in a territory teaching hospital of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences in Beijing, China to compare the short- and long-term effectiveness and safety of CHM for endometriosis associated pain (EAP) before and after CHM treatment. A total of 338 out of 1143 women confirmed with endometriosis by ultrasonogram or surgery within three months received a CHM decoction twice a day for at least 3 and up to 24 months. All data were collected by a Structured Medical Records of Endometriosis (SMRE) in every clinic visit covering the whole treatment period. Pain score, evaluated by Numeric Rating Scale, was significantly decreased from 3rd to 12th month in women with moderate or severe pain. Frequency and severity rating of menstrual symptoms, evaluated by Cox Menstrual Symptom Scale, were significantly decreased in women with any pain level. Psychological changes rated by Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) were significantly lower in 3, 6, 12, and 24 months of treatment, but those by Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) was significantly decreased in six months of treatment. There was no severe adverse event but only minor side-effects. In conclusion, our study showed that CHM relieved EAP and related symptoms with minimal side-effects after treatment. A large-scale randomized and placebo-controlled trial could be designed to confirm the efficacy and safety.

DFT Mechanistic Insights into Aldehyde Deformylations with Biomimetic Metal-Dioxygen Complexes: Distinct Mechanisms and Reaction Rules.

Aldehyde deformylations occurring in organisms are catalyzed by metalloenzymes through metal-dioxygen active cores, attracting great interest to study small-molecule metal-dioxygen complexes for understanding relevant biological processes and developing biomimetic catalysts for aerobic transformations. As the known deformylation mechanisms, including nucleophilic attack, aldehyde α-H-atom abstraction, and aldehyde hydrogen atom abstraction, undergo outer-sphere pathways, we herein report a distinct inner-sphere mechanism based on density functional theory (DFT) mechanistic studies of aldehyde deformylations with a copper (II)-superoxo complex. The inner-sphere mechanism proceeds via a sequence mainly including aldehyde end-on coordination, homolytic aldehyde C-C bond cleavage, and dioxygen O-O bond cleavage, among which the C-C bond cleavage is the rate-determining step with a barrier substantially lower than those of outer-sphere pathways. The aldehyde C-C bond cleavage, enabled through the activation of the dioxygen ligand radical in a second-order nucleophilic substitution (SN2)-like fashion, leads to an alkyl radical and facilitates the subsequent dioxygen O-O bond cleavage. Furthermore, we deduced the rules for the reactions of metal-dioxygen complexes with aldehydes and nitriles via the inner-sphere mechanism. Expectedly, our proposed inner-sphere mechanisms and the reaction rules offer another perspective to understand relevant biological processes involving metal-dioxygen cores and to discover metal-dioxygen catalysts for aerobic transformations.

Defect-Free Alternating Conjugated Polymers Enabled by Room- Temperature Stille Polymerization.

The Stille cross-coupling polymerization is one of the most efficient synthetic methods for donor-acceptor (D-A) type π-conjugated polymers (CPs). Nevertheless, thermal-activation Stille polymerization readily produced homocoupling defects, resulting in batch-to-batch variations in copolymers quality and deteriorating the device performance of electronics and optoelectronics. Here, a room-temperature Stille-type polymerization was developed, the utility and generality of which were demonstrated by synthesis of twelve D-A CPs with high molecular weights. Importantly, the resultant copolymers possessed no homocoupling (hc) structural defects, while hc reactions were observed in the thermal-activation Stille reactions. Thus, the organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) based on the former exhibited twofold higher charge transport mobility (2.10 cm2  V-1 s-1 ), since it possessed stronger crystallinity and lower trap density of states (tDOS).

Highly Dispersed Mo2 C Nanodots in Carbon Nanocages Derived from Mo-Based Xerogel: Efficient Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Evolution.

The production of hydrogen via electrochemical water splitting has the potential to enable the utilization of hydrogen-powered fuel cells on a large scale. However, to realize this technology, inexpensive, noble metal-free electrocatalysts possessing high performances for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) are needed. Mo2 C nanoparticles recently receive much attention as alternative noble metal-free electrocatalysts because their electronic structures are akin to that of Pt. However, the synthesis of Mo2 C at nanoscale with high catalytic activity for HER remains a great challenge. Moreover, although efforts have been made to prevent their aggregation, the particles coalesce during high temperature carbonization, which is typically used to produce such transition metal carbides. Here, the synthesis of Mo2 C nanodots that are well-dispersed within 3D cage-like carbon microparticles using rationally designed Mo-based xerogels, which are prepared via the sol-gel process as precursors, is reported. During their pyrolysis, the xerogels maintain their structures while the Mo species in them transform into well-dispersed Mo2 C nanodots in situ. The as-synthesized Mo2 C nanodots exhibit excellent electrocatalytic activity for HER, in both alkaline and acidic media, while remaining largely stable. The work also demonstrates a promising synthetic route and procedure to other well-dispersed yet stable nanocatalysts.