Non-linear association of atherogenic index of plasma with bone mineral density a cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: Although there has been abundant evidence of the association between dyslipidemia as a single factor and osteoporosis, the non-linear relationship between osteoporosis and the Atherogenic Index of Plasma (AIP) has not yet been thoroughly investigated. This study aimed to investigate the complex relationship between AIP and bone mineral density (BMD) to elucidate their interrelationship. METHODS: An analysis of 2007-2018 National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES) data was conducted for this study. The study enrolled 5,019 participants. Logarithmically multiplying triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol yields the AIP (base 10). The measured variables consisted of BMD in the total femur (TF), femoral neck (FN), and lumbar spine (LS). The association between AIP and BMD was examined using a range of statistical models, such as weighted multivariable logistic regression, generalized additive model, etc. RESULTS: It was found that AIP was positively associated with BMD after adjusting for age, gender, race, socioeconomic status, degree of education, income, Consuming alcoholic beverages, osteoporosis status (Yes or No), ALT, AST, serum creatinine, and total calcium levels. Further studies supported the association link between elevated BMD and AIP. Furthermore, compared to men, females had a higher positive connection between AIP and BMD. In general, there was a curve in the reverse L-shape seen, with a point of change around 0.877, indicating a relationship between AIP and TF BMD. Moreover, a curve exhibiting an L-formed pattern, with a point of inflection at around 0.702, was seen between AIP and FN BMD. In addition, a J-shaped curve was seen, with a point of inflection at 0.092, which demonstrates the association between AIP and LS BMD. CONCLUSION: The AIP and TF BMD curves resemble inverted L shapes, as do the AIP and FN BMD curves. The relationship between AIP and LS BMD was further demonstrated by a J-shaped curve. The results indicate a possible association between AIP and bone mineral density, which should be explored in more detail.

Exploration and validation of the hub genes involved in hypoxia-induced endothelial-mesenchymal transition of systemic sclerosis.

OBJECTIVES: During the development of systemic sclerosis (SSc), endothelial-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT) has been shown to be one of the mechanisms leading to pulmonary fibrosis. However, the correlation between hypoxia and EndoMT was mostly unknown. METHODS: R software was used to analyse differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in vascular endothelial cells under hypoxic conditions, and fibroblasts derived from SSc-related pulmonary fibrotic tissues, respectively. Using a web-based online Venn diagram tool, we analysed overlapping genes of DEGs between endothelial cells and fibroblasts. Finally, the protein-protein interaction network of EndoMT hub genes were constructed using the STRING database. The hub genes were knockdown by transfection of siRNAs in the hypoxia model of HULEC-5a cells constructed by liquid paraffin closure and then used to detect the effect on EndoMT-related biomarkers by western blot. RESULTS: In this study, we found that INHBA, DUSP1, NOX4, PLOD2, BHLHE40 were upregulated in SSc fibroblasts and hypoxic-treated endothelial cells, while VCAM1, RND3, CCL2, and TXNIP were downregulated. In the hypoxia model of HULEC-5a cells, the expression of these 9 hub genes was confirmed by western blot. In addition, through Spearman's correlation analysis and Western blot, we confirmed that these hub genes were closely related to the EndoMT-related markers. The mechanisms of these hypoxia-induced EndoMT hub genes may be related to TGF-ß, Notch, Wnt, NF-κ B, TNF and mTOR signalling pathways. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides new insights into the occurrence and development of SSc-related pulmonary fibrosis resulting from hypoxia-induced EndoMT.

A case of atypical reninoma with mild hypertension and normal plasma renin activity but elevated plasma renin concentration.

BACKGROUND: Reninoma is a rare, benign renal neoplasm. Typical clinical features include severe hypertension, secondary hyperaldosteronism, hypokalaemia and metabolic alkalosis caused by the overproduction of renin. CASE PRESENTATION: A 25-year-old lean Chinese woman with no family history of hypertension was hospitalized for stage 1 hypertension that gradually developed over two years. Endocrine investigation showed hyperreninemia without hyperaldosteronism and hypokalaemia. Interestingly, although the patient had an elevated plasma renin concentration (PRC), her plasma renin activity (PRA) was in the normal range. Abdominal contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) scanning revealed a solid, low-density, renal cortical mass with delayed enhancement. Selective renal vein sampling (SRVS) was performed, and a lateralization of the renin secretion from the left kidney was found. Enucleation of the tumour led to a rapid remission of hypertension and hyperreninemia. Based on pathological findings, the patient was diagnosed with reninoma. Immunohistochemical staining of the tumour was positive for Renin, CD34, Vimentin, and synaptophysin (Syn) and negative for somatostatin receptor 2 (SSTR2) and chromogranin A (CgA). CONCLUSIONS: Reninoma can present as mild hypertension without hyperaldosteronism and hypokalaemia. The clinical features of reninoma may depend on the degree of activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS). PRC should be incorporated in the differential diagnosis of secondary hypertension.

Hydrothermal oxidation degradation of dioxins in fly ash with water-washing and added Ce-Mn catalyst.

A comprehensive analysis of the effects of the temperature, reaction time, liquid-solid ratio (L/S), and initial pH on the hydrothermal degradation of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) (which are both PCDD/Fs) in municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) fly ash is presented. Consequently, the hydrothermal degradation reaction is catalyzed using Ce-Mn catalyst under low-temperature conditions to study the effect of the catalyst on the degradation efficiency of PCDD/Fs. The experimental results show that temperature is the most critical factor for the reaction. When the hydrothermal oxidation temperature reaches 280 °C (reaction time = 120 min, original pH = 8.5, L/S = 4 mL/g), the toxicity equivalent (I-TEQ) of PCDD/Fs is only 5.4 ng TEQ/kg, and the degradation efficiency reaches 99.71%. Under these conditions, 2,3,4,7,8-P5CDF makes the highest contribution to I-TEQ degradation, reaching 37.4%. There are four main pathways for the reaction of 2,3,4,7,8-P5CDF with hydroxyl radicals. A comparison of the PCDD/F concentrations of different products shows that the addition of 0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5% of the Ce-Mn catalyst reduces the degradation efficiency by 8.79%, 1.40%, and 0.07%, respectively, which indicates that the addition of a small quantity of Ce-Mn catalyst does not facilitate the degradation of PCDD/Fs. The addition of the catalyst significantly decreases the degradation efficiency of low-chlorinated homologs but has a relatively small effect on that of high-chlorinated homologs. Therefore, it is concluded that Ce-Mn catalysts are more likely to promote resynthesis than degradation of PCDD/Fs.

Reduced Utilization Process Leaching Toxicity by Stabilizing Heavy Metals in Fly Ash from MSW Incineration Based on Hydrothermal Oxidation.

Hydrothermal oxidation is an effective approach to reduce leaching toxicity of fly ash from municipal solid waste incineration during utilization process. Herein, the effects of temperature, time, pH and Ce-Mn catalyst dosage on the stabilization of heavy metals in fly ash during hydrothermal oxidation were studied. The temperature of hydrothermal oxidation was positively correlated to the stabilization effect. However, the reaction time and pH emerged unstable effect. The amount of Ce-Mn catalyst had a slightly positive effect on the stabilizing at low doses, but it can be inhibited by excessive dose. The leaching concentrations of all heavy metals accorded with National Wastewater Discharge Standard of China (GB 8978-1996) under the optimal parameters, especially for Pb, Ni and Cu. The heavy metals were transformed from unstable fractions to residue fractions during hydrothermal process, among which the proportion of Cu and Zn residue fractions significantly increased and further reduced leaching toxicity.

The change of water content and role of microbe in the sludge drying process.

In this study, the pure terephthalic acid sludge was treated by a drying process which was an economical and environmentally method. The water change and metabolic pathways for bacterial community function prediction were analyzed. The microbial community changes were studied by high-throughput sequencing to draw the dynamic succession model. Then multiple statistics was used to determine the key factors of the reduction. The results showed that the main stage of water loss in the PTA sludge drying process was the high temperature period where the water lost by evaporation accounted for more than 90% of the total removal. The main metabolic pathways for bacterial community function were amino acid (7.72%-8.71% of Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes relative abundance and 8.26%-9.51% of Cluster of orthologous groups of proteins relative abundance) and carbohydrate metabolism. The model describing the dynamic succession of microbial communities showed that the dominant bacteria changed from Nitrospira, Novosphingobium and Azohydromonas to Pseudomonas, Paeniglutamicibac and Pelotomaculum. The key factors for water loss were Gemmatimonas, Novosphingobium and Azohydromonas with the correlation coefficients of 0.887, 0.772, 0.783, respectively; the key factors for dry matter loss were Pelotomaculum, total organic matter, dissovlved organic carbon and carbon/nitrogen ratio; the key factors for toxic substance loss were Brevundimonas, Novosphingobium and Gemmatimonas. These results provided theoretical support for the application and demonstration for hazardous waste sludge reduction.

Identification of a novel SDHB c.563 T > C mutation responsible for Paraganglioma syndrome and genetic analysis of the SDHB gene in China: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma (PPGL) is a rare neuroendocrine tumor. Succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) deficiency has been confirmed to be associated with PPGL in various studies. SDHB mutations play an important role in PPGL. However, genetic screening of PPGL patients has not been widely carried out in clinics in China, and only a few related studies have been reported. CASE PRESENTATION: We report a case of a 23-year-old woman with paraganglioma (PGL) caused by a novel missense SDHB mutation, c.563 T > C (p.Leu188Pro), who presented with paroxysmal hypertension. Computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a PGL in the right retroperitoneum and no metastasis. The patient was treated with surgical excision and did not have postsurgerical paroxysmal hypertension. In addition, we searched the literature related to variations in SDHB genes in Chinese patients with PPGL using multiple online databases, including PubMed, China Hospital Knowledge Database and Wanfang Data. Ultimately, 14 studies (published between 2006 and 2019) comprising 34 cases of SDHB-related PGL or pheochromocytoma (PCC) were found. In total, 35 patients were enrolled in this study, and 25 mutations were identified. The common genetic alterations of SDHB in China were c.136C > T (11.4%), c.18C > A (11.4%) and c.725G > A (8.5%). Some carriers of SDHB mutations (28.1%) developed metastatic PPGL, and a high frequency of head and neck PGLs (HNPGLs) (59.4%) was reported. CONCLUSIONS: We describe a classic case with a novel SDHB c.563 T > C mutation. Based on our literature review, common SDHB gene mutations in Chinese PPGL patients are c.136C > T, c.18C > A and c.725G > A.

NLR-A Simple Indicator of Inflammation for the Diagnosis of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Patients with Hypertension.

We aimed to investigate the relationship between neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), C-reactive protein (CRP), brain natriuretic peptide (BNP), and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) in hypertension. METHODS: This study included 386 patients with hypertension. Mann-Whitney U test and multivariate binary logistic regression analysis were used to investigate the relationship between NLR, CRP, BNP, and LVH in patients with hypertension, as well as compare the levels of NLR, CRP, and BNP in the four configurations. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was used to compare the diagnostic efficacy of NLR, CRP, and BNP on LVH. RESULTS: The NLR and CRP and BNP levels of the LVH group were significantly higher than those of the non-LVH group. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, NLR as well as age, BMI, and SBP were associated with LVH. In addition, in patients with eccentric and concentric hypertrophy, the NLR and CRP and BNP levels were higher than those of the normal left ventricular geometry and concentric remodeling groups. The cutoff values of NLR, CRP, and BNP obtained by ROC curve were 2.185, 2.205, and 283.45, respectively, for the prediction of LVH. CONCLUSIONS: NLR is independently associated with LVH in patients with hypertension, and this is consistent with the diagnostic efficacy of CRP and BNP, which may be a simple and convenient indicator for judging LVH.

Unraveling the nexus of multi-environmental factors and benthic macroinvertebrates in typical inflow river of Taihu Lake in China.

The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between benthic macroinvertebrates and various environmental factors (i.e., physicochemical properties of sediment and hydromorphological condition) in the typical inflow river sediments of the Taihu Basin in China. Pearson correlation and redundancy analysis (RDA) were used to investigate associations between environmental factors and benthic macroinvertebrate community structure. The RDA results indicated that the environmental factors account for 58.6% of the spatial differentiation of benthic macroinvertebrate community. High density of Oligochaeta species, which were potential indicators of heavy metal pollution within sediments, was observed as the pollution-tolerant species in the study area, indicating that the benthic community was seriously polluted by heavy metals and nutrients. Moreover, the variation in benthic macroinvertebrate community structure and trait composition were mainly explained by physicochemical properties of sediment (e.g., Pb, temperature, and phosphate), whereas hydrological condition (e.g., turbidity) alterations played a less important role. Thus, the environmental factors are significantly correlated with the abundance and biomass of benthic macroinvertebrate by taking interacts of multi-environmental factors into account. These results provide scientific basis for water environment health management and pollution control in Taihu Basin river network area.

Association of microalbuminuria with diabetes is stronger in people with prehypertension compared to those with ideal blood pressure.

AIM: Microalbuminuria (MA) has been demonstrated as a biomarker for microvascular dysfunction. This study is aimed to evaluate the association of glycaemic status with MA in prehypertensive and ideal BP subjects and to evaluate the interaction between glycaemic and blood pressure status as risk factors for MA prevalence. METHODS: 1059 subjects aged 40-70 with non-hypertension who were recruited from six districts of Tianjin were divided into a prehypertensive group (622 cases) and an ideal blood BP group (437 cases). Subjects of the prehypertensive group and the ideal BP group were divided respectively into three subgroups: normoglycaemia subgroup, prediabetes subgroup and diabetes subgroup. The prevalence of MA in the above three subgroups of subjects with prehypertension and ideal BP were assessed. We performed a statistical analysis for interaction test between glycaemia and BP status on microalbuminuria in the overall study sample by a multivariate logistic regression model. The association of glycaemic status (defined as normoglycaemia, prediabetes, and diabetes) with MA was evaluated separately in prehypertensive and ideal BP subjects. RESULTS: Results showed that the prevalence of MA in both prehypertensive and ideal BP groups rose with the increasing of classification of glycaemic level of subgroups (32.6%, 18.3%, 14.8% vs. 23.1%, 16.2%, 13.4%), the differences in prehypertensive group were statistically significant (Pearson χ2 = 15.24, P < 0.001). The ORs (95% CI) of MA were 1.25 (0.86-1.83) for prediabetes and 2.56 (1.62-4.03) for diabetes in the fully adjusted model. There was no interaction between prediabetes and BP status regarding MA (P = 0.237) but we found a significant interaction between diabetes and BP status (P < 0.001). In the prehypertensive group, multivariate logistic regression models showed that the diabetes subgroup had a significant association with MA, and the adjusted odds ratio of the diabetes subgroup to the normoglycaemia subgroup was 2.68 (95%CI 1.54-4.67) (P < 0.001). However, there was no significant association of glycaemic status with MA in the ideal BP group. Stratified analysis by a multivariate logistic regression model in the whole study population showed that people with both prehypertension and diabetes had the highest risk of MA (adjusted OR = 2.50, 95%CI 1.16-5.36; P = 0.019), compared with those with ideal BP and normoglycaemia (reference group). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that there was a statistically significant association between diabetes and microalbuminuria only in prehypertensive subjects. In addition, our study highlights the interaction between prehypertension and diabetes as a risk factor for MA.

The Relationship Between Serum Zinc Levels, Cardiac Markers and the Risk of Acute Myocardial Infarction by Zinc Quartiles.

BACKGROUND: Zinc is one of the most important microelements in the body and zinc homeostasis plays a critical role in maintaining cellular structure and function. Zinc dyshomeostasis can lead to many diseases, such as cardiovascular disease. Our aim was to investigate whether there is a relationship between zinc and cardiac markers, and the risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) by zinc quartiles. METHODS: We enrolled a total of 529 patients and measured their serum zinc levels and cardiac markers. We performed further studies after dividing subjects into four groups according to their concentrations of zinc by quartile to clarify the relationship between zinc levels and risk of increased acute myocardial infarction prevalence rate. RESULTS: We observed that there was a significant inverse linear relationship between zinc and Lg(creatine kinase) (p=0.011), Lg(creatine kinase-MB) (p=0.002) and Lg(cardiac troponin T) (p=0.045). In addition, the acute myocardial infarction prevalence rates were 28.8%, 24.8%, 20.5%, and 18.2% by patients with zinc quartiles, respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the odds ratio between the lowest and highest zinc quartile groups was 1.92 (1.019-3.604) (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The present study revealed a relationship between serum zinc levels in that zinc levels were significantly inversely correlated with serum creatine kinase (CK), creatine kinase-MB (CKMB) and cardiac troponin T (cTnT) levels. Furthermore, we found that the prevalence rate of acute myocardial infarction decreased with increasing zinc quartiles.

Association of self-reported sleep duration and hypertension: Results of a Chinese prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the association of self-reported sleep duration and hypertension using the data from Tianjin China. METHODS: Participants aged 40-70 years without hypertension were recruited with a stratified cluster sampling method across six districts of Tianjin, China. Information regarding their sociodemographic and lifestyle-related characteristics was gathered by questionnaires. After 2 years of follow-up, the second physical examination was taken on the same crowd. RESULTS: During the 2-year period, 874 subjects (221 men, 653 women) were successfully contacted. Multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between the frequency of incident hypertension after the 2-year follow-up and sleep duration according to age groups. Among the younger age group (40-<55 years), a short sleep duration (≤ear h) was associated with a significantly higher risk of hypertension compared with sleeping for 7-8 h in unadjusted analyses (OR: 3.15 [95% CI: 1.04-9.54]). In a model after adjustment for the impact factors, a significant difference was also found in the frequency of incident hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: In our study, a short sleep duration (≤sho h) is a significant risk factor for hypertension in younger subjects, with no association among older subjects.

Contamination and risk assessment of metals in road-deposited sediments in a medium-sized city of China.

Road-deposited sediment (RDS) is a valuable environmental medium for characterizing contamination of metals in urban areas and the associated risks to human health. A total of 62 RDS samples were collected for metal test in four urban areas in a medium size city in eastern China. The areas that represented different land uses consisted of intense traffic area (ITA), commercial area (CA), residential area (RA), and riverside park area (RPA). The effects of particle size and different land uses on metal contamination and health risk were the major focus in this study. The test results showed that RDS in ITA appeared to have higher metal content, enrichment factor (EF), ecological risk index (RI), and the non-cancer and cancer risks than in the other areas. The metal contamination and health risk increased inversely with particle size. The particles less than 63 µm were found to be most critical in development of metal contamination and health risk. The EF was measured to be greater than 2.0 in the four areas, indicating a moderate enrichment. The measured RI ranged between 50 and 200, indicating considerable to moderate risks. The non-cancer risk for children was high in the four areas but was low for adults in all test areas except in ITA. The cancer risk of Cr for children was high in all test areas. Based on the test results, the contamination control and management for metals in RDS shall focus on the effects from such factors as particles (<63 µm) and the land use for intense traffic (ITA).

Prognostic value of plasma galectin-3 levels in patients with coronary heart disease and chronic heart failure.

In this study, we evaluated the prognostic value of plasma galectin-3 levels in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and chronic heart failure (HF) and selected 261 CHD patients who were consecutively admitted to our hospital. The enrolled chronic HF patients included HF patients with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). Patients without HF served as the control group. Galectin-3 and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels were determined and the primary endpoint was the composite of all-cause mortality and rehospitalization with 12-month follow-up. Plasma galectin-3 levels were higher in HF patients compared with non-HF patients (P < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses for diagnosis of HF showed that galectin-3 had the greatest area under the curve (AUC) of 0.756 (P < 0.001), with an optimal cutoff of 10.8 ng/mL, yielding a sensitivity of 81.7% and a specificity of 61.7%. Follow-up ROC analyses of galectin-3 for outcome prediction showed an optimal cutoff of 17.8 ng/ mL, yielding a sensitivity of 97.3% and a specificity of 77.6%. Galectin-3 yielded an AUC of 0.899 (P < 0.001), whereas the AUC of BNP was 0.633 (P = 0.022). Galectin-3 led to an AUC of 0.931 (P < 0.001) for HFpEF and an AUC of 0.882 (P < 0.001) for HFrEF. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis revealed that galectin-3 was an independent prognostic predictor for chronic HF, especially for HFpEF patients (RR: 1.231, 95% CI: 1.066-1.442). In summary, plasma galectin-3 levels were increased in CHD HF patients and were an independent predictor of all-cause mortality and rehospitalization. In HFpEF patients galectin-3 levels correlated stronger with outcomes than in HFrEF patients.

Contamination and risk assessment of heavy metals in soils irrigated with biogas slurry: a case study of Taihu basin.

The accumulation of heavy metals in different soils resulting from irrigation with biogas slurry obtained from Taihu basin may create a potential public health risk. We quantified the concentration of heavy metals (Zn, Pb, Cu, Cr, As, and Cd.) in soils. Results indicated that the concentrations of Ni, Zn, Cd, and Pb in soil exceeded the maximum permitted levels set by Chinese Soil Environmental Quality Standard (GB15618-2008). The highest mean level in the soil was noted for Zn, followed by Zn, Pb, Cu, Cr, As, and Cd, while maximum geoaccumulation index (Igeo) was found for Cd in all soil samples which ranged from strongly polluted to extremely polluted. Pollution levels varied with metals and soil types. Moreover, the concentrations of Mn, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, and Pb in soils showed significant correlations with OM; pH showed positive correlations with Cd, Cu, As, and Cr; pH and OM were the most important factors controlling the uptake of heavy metals by soils. Multivariate principal component analysis showed anthropogenic contributions of Zn, Pb, Cu, As, and Cd in the different kinds of soils. The target hazard quotient (HQ) values of six metals in soils were less than 1, which suggested that non-carcinogenic risks of metal exposure to soils were generally assumed to be safe. The assessment results of carcinogenic risks in soils showed higher risks than an acceptable range of 1E-06 to 1E-04 that would pose potential cancer risks to the farmers due to the work of leafy and root vegetables grown locally.

Circ_0104652 Promotes the Proliferation and Migration of ox-LDL-Stimulated Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells via Stabilizing ADAMTS7 and HMGB1.

BACKGROUND: Atherosclerosis (AS) stands as the primary contributor to cardiovascular disease, a pervasive global health concern. Extensive research has underscored the pivotal role of circular RNAs (circRNAs) in cardiovascular disease development. However, the specific functions of numerous circRNAs in AS remain poorly understood. METHODS: Quantitative real-time PCR analysis revealed a significant upregulation of circ_0104652 in oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL)-induced vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). Loss-of-function experiments were subsequently employed to assess the impact of circ_0104652 on ox-LDL-induced VSMCs. RESULTS: Silencing circ_0104652 was found to impede the proliferation and migration while promoting the apoptosis of ox-LDL-stimulated VSMCs. Mechanistic assays unveiled that circ_0104652 stabilized ADAM metallopeptidase with thrombospondin type 1 motif 7 (ADAMTS7) and high mobility group box 1 (HMGB1) by recruiting eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4A3 (EIF4A3) protein. Rescue assays further confirmed that circ_0104652 exerted its influence on ox-LDL-induced VSMC proliferation through modulation of ADAMTS7 and HMGB1. CONCLUSIONS: This study elucidates the role of the circ_0104652/EIF4A3/ADAMTS7/HMGB1 axis in ox-LDL-stimulated VSMCs, providing valuable insights into the intricate mechanisms involved.

Bioinspired stormwater control measure for the enhanced removal of truly dissolved polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and heavy metals from urban runoff.

Stormwater harvesting (SWH) addresses the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Conventional stormwater control measures (SCMs) effectively remove particulate and colloidal contaminants from urban runoff; however, they fail to retain dissolved contaminants, particularly substances of concern like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals (HMs), thereby hindering the SWH applicability. Here, inspired by protein folding in nature, we reported a novel biomimetic SCM for the efficient removal of dissolved PAHs and HMs from urban runoff. Lab-scale tests were conducted together with a more mechanistic investigation on how the contaminants were removed. By integrating hydrophobic organic chains with low-cost hydrophilic flocculant matrixes, our biomimetic flocculants achieved a 1.4-9.5 times removal of all detected dissolved PAHs and HMs, while enhancing the removal of a wide-spectrum of particulate and colloidal contaminants, compared to existing SCMs. Ecotoxicity, as indicated by newborn Daphnia magna as experimental organisms, was reduced from "acute toxicity" of the original runoff sample (toxic unit of ∼2.6) to "non-toxicity" (toxic unit < 0.4) of the treated water. The improved performance is attributed to the protein-folding-like features of the bioinspired flocculants providing: (i) stronger binding to PAHs (via hydrophobic association) and HMs (via coordination), and (ii) the ability of spontaneous aggregation. The bio-inspired approach in this work holds strong promise as an alternative or supplementary component in SCM systems, and is expected to contribute to sustainable water management practices in relation to SDGs.

Optimal emission reductions pathway for polybrominated diphenyl ethers in typical household e-waste dismantling products.

Waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs) and waste epoxy resin powder (WERP) generated after crushing are the most crucial hazardous materials in the recycling process of household e-waste. In this study, a sustainable treatment approach was established in response to the drawbacks of traditional treatment methods. The baseline and hypothetical scenarios were as follows: (1) scenario 1 (S1): WPCBs mechanical treatment, WERP safe landfill; (2) scenario 2 (S2): WPCBs mechanical treatment, WERP imitation stone bricks production. Based on the material flow analysis and comprehensive evaluation, the most profitable and environmentally friendly scenario was selected and assumed to be promoted in Jiangsu area and China from 2013 to 2029. The analysis result showed that S2 had the best economic performance and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) emission reductions potential. S2 is the best option that can gradually replace the traditional recycling model. With the promotion of S2, China would reduce the emissions of PBDEs by 700.8 kg. Meanwhile, it could save $542.2 million in WERP landfill costs, produce 1260.2 kt of imitation stone bricks, and generate $2308.5 million in economic benefits. In conclusion, this study can offer a new idea for dismantling products treatment of household e-waste and provide scientific knowledge to improve the sustainable management.

Organic binding iron formation and its mitigation in cation exchange resin assisted anaerobic digestion of chemically enhanced primary sedimentation sludge.

Fe based chemically enhanced primary sedimentation (CEPS) is an effective method of capturing the colloidal particles and inorganic phosphorous (P) from wastewater but also produces Fe-CEPS sludge. Anaerobic digestion is recommended to treat the sludge for energy and phosphorus recovery. However, the aggregated sludge flocs caused by the coagulation limited sludge hydrolysis and P release during anaerobic digestion process. In this study, cation exchange resin (CER) was employed during anaerobic digestion of Fe-CEPS sludge with aims of prompting P release and carbon recovery. CER addition effectively dispersed the sludge flocs. However, the greater dispersion of sludge flocs could not translate to higher sludge hydrolysis. The maximum hydrolysis and acidification achieved at lower CER dosage of 0.5 g CER/g TS. It was observed that the extents of sludge hydrolysis and acidification had a strongly negative correlation with the organic binding iron (OBI) concentration. The presence of CER during anaerobic digestion favored Fe(III) reduction to Fe(II), and then further induced iron phase transformation, leading to the OBI formation from the released organic matters. Meanwhile, higher CER dosage resulted in higher P release efficiency and the maximum efficiency at 4 g CER/g TS was four times than that of the control. The reduction of BD-P, NaOH-P and HCl-P in solid phase contributed most P release into the supernatant. A new two-stage treatment process was further developed to immigrate the OBI formation and improve the carbon recovery efficiency. Through this process, approximately 45% of P was released, and 63% of carbon was recovered as methane from Fe-CEPS sludge via CER pretreatment.

Characteristics and long-term prognosis of patients with reduced, mid-range, and preserved ejection fraction: A systemic review and meta-analysis.

AIMS: Patients with heart failure (HF) have a poor prognosis and are categorized by ejection fraction. We performed a meta-analysis to compare baseline characteristics and long-term outcomes of patients with heart failure with reduced (HFrEF), mid-range (HFmrEF), and preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). METHODS AND RESULTS: A total of 27 prospective studies were included. Patients with HFpEF were older and had a higher proportion of females, hypertension, diabetes, and insufficient neuroendocrine antagonist treatments, while patients with HFrEF and HFmrEF had a higher prevalence of coronary heart disease and chronic kidney disease. After more than 1-year of follow-up, all-cause mortality was significantly lower in patients with HFmrEF 9388/25 042 (37.49%) than those with HFrEF 39 333/90 023 (43.69%) and HFpEF 24 828/52 492 (47.30%) (p < .001). Cardiovascular mortality was lowest in patients with HFpEF 1130/9904 (11.41%), highest in patients with HFrEF 3419/16 277 (21.07%) mainly coming from HF death and sudden cardiac death, and middle in patients with HFmrEF 699/5171 (13.52%) and the non-cardiovascular mortality was on the contrary. Subgroup analysis showed that in high-risk patients with atrial fibrillation, the all-cause mortality of HFpEF was significantly higher than both HFrEF and HFmrEF (p < .001). HF hospitalization was lowest in patients with HFmrEF 1822/5285 (34.47%), highest in patients with HFrEF 12 607/28 590 (44.10%) and middle in patients with HFpEF 8686/22 763 (38.16%) and the composite of all-cause mortality and HF hospitalization was also observed similar results. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, patients with HFmrEF had the lowest incidence of all-cause mortality and HF hospitalization, while the highest all-cause mortality and HF hospitalization rates were HFpEF and HFrEF patients, respectively.