Stepwise recycling of Fe, Cu, Zn and Ni from real electroplating sludge via coupled acidic leaching and hydrothermal and extraction routes.

Fe/S-bearing erdite flocculant has been proven to be effective in the precipitation of heavy metals from real electroplating wastewater, with the only drawback being the huge production of sludge. This sludge was rich in Fe/S/Zn/Cu/Ni and refractory to be recycled due to the extractant pollution by free Fe and the dissolution of sulphide. Herein, a multistep separation method was developed to dissolve sulphide and separate Fe prior to Zn/Cu/Ni. Results showed that more than 92% sludge was dissolved as Fe/Zn/Cu/Ni-rich leachate after the sludge was leached by nitric acid, with the rest of the remaining undissolved elemental sulphurs. When the leachate was directly extracted by using commercially extractant Acorga M5640 and Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (P204), Fe was complexed by the phosphate group of the extractant. The Fe was effectively removed prior to Zn/Cu/Ni to avoid the extractant pollution. The Fe removal efficiency was only 38.34% without sucrose, but it rose to 99.94% with the addition of 0.5 g sucrose. The added sucrose reacted with nitrate to consume H+, which showed a similar rate to the H+ release from Fe hydrolysis. Thereafter, the Fe hydrolysis was continued to remove, the Fe at a high level. The removed Fe was in the form of high-purified hematite nanorod with a diameter and length of 300-600 nm and 0.5-2.5 µm, respectively. After Fe removal, Cu/Zn/Ni was extracted by using Acorga M5640 and P204 to form three halite, including a mixture of copper sulphate hydrate and bonattite (96.8% CuSO4·H2O/CuSO4·3H2O), gunningite (97.5% ZnSO4·H2O) and dwornikite (97.9% NiSO4·H2O). The rest of the solution was neutralised by lime water to remove sulphate as gypsum (95.9% CaSO4) to meet the discharge standard of the electroplating industry. In summary, the recycling efficiency of Fe/Cu/Zn/Ni from the sludge reached 94.4%, 92.6%, 94.7% and 95.3%, which provided an alternative strategy to resource utilise Fe/S-bearing solid waste.

Generation of wavelength- and OAM-tunable vortex beam at low threshold.

Wavelength- and OAM- tunable laser with large tunable range is the key source for the application in large capacity optical communications. In this paper, we demonstrate a wavelength- and OAM-tunable vortex laser in a 1.2 W single mode fiber coupled LD pumped Yb:phosphate laser. A z-type cavity has been used to precisely control the laser mode diameter. A thin film polarizer (TFP) is inserted to finely control the intra-cavity loss and tune the wavelength. Corresponding laser fundamental mode to pump beam ratio has been optimized to decrease the pump threshold for high order HG mode running. A pair of cylindrical lenses has been used to convert the HG mode to vortex output. The vortex beam with OAM-tunable range from 1h to 14 h with wavelength tuning range of ~36.2 nm for LG0,1 vortex beam, and ~14.5 nm for LG0,14 vortex beam at pump power of only 1.2 W have been realized, which is the largest tuning range of both OAM and wavelength at ~1 W pump power range to the best of our knowledge.

Direct generation of vortex beams from a double-end polarized pumped Yb:KYW laser.

Double-end polarized pumping scheme combined with off-axis pumping technique has been first introduced to generate vortex beams in a z-type cavity. By employing double-end pumping, two different transverse modes can be excited simultaneously. The phase delay between these two modes can be finely tuned by manipulating the cavity structure. Direct emission of a chirality controllable Laguerre Gaussian LG01 vortex beam with slope efficiency of more than 40% has been realized by a double-end polarized pumped Yb:KYW laser. Other modes, such as dual-LG01 mode, cross-shaped mode, and LG10 mode, have also been demonstrated from our laser setup.

Tectorigenin inhibits osteosarcoma cell migration through downregulation of matrix metalloproteinases in vitro.

Tectorigenin (Tec) is an effective component of the traditional Chinese medicine Belamcanda chinensis, which has been reported to exert beneficial effects in various types of cancer. However, the activity and mechanism of Tec in osteosarcoma (OS) have not been investigated to date. The aim of the present study was to examine the inhibitory effect of Tec on OS and its underlying mechanism of action. OS cells (Saos2 and U2OS) were treated with various concentrations of Tec for 24, 48, and 72 h. Cell proliferation was evaluated using an CCK-8 assay. Cell migration and invasion ability were measured using the Transwell assay. The expressions of MMP1, MMP2, MMP9, and cleaved caspase3 were measured using real-time PCR and/or western blot analysis. We found that Tec inhibited the proliferation of OS cells (Saos2 and U2OS) in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner. In addition, Tec significantly inhibited migration and invasion in OS cells (P<0.05). Tec upregulated the expression of cleaved caspase3, while downregulating the expression of MMP1, MMP2, and MMP9. Taken together, the present study provided fundamental evidence for the application of Tec in chemotherapy against OS.

Increasing phosphorus inhibits the retention and prevention of cadmium by iron plaque and promotes cadmium accumulation in rice plants.

Iron (Fe) plaque is an important component of rice roots because it influences the uptake and transport of cadmium (Cd) in rice. In this study, a hydroponic experiment was developed to investigate the influence of phosphorus (P) on the formation of iron plaque on the root surface as well as the influence on Cd uptake in rice plants. Three important results were obtained, as follows. (1) During the formation of iron plaque induced by exogenous Fe, P supply was beneficial for the iron plaque formation, but it restrained the Cd retention capability, resulting in a decrease in Cd in iron plaque by 35.48-61.93%, and leading to an increase in Cd in rice roots from 72.13 mg kg-1 to 112.78 mg kg-1 (2) After the iron plaque induction, the formation of iron plaque was inhibited by P supply, resulting in the amount of iron plaque decreasing by 18.46-54.57%, and the Cd in iron plaque decreased by 3.93-31.78%. Then, the Cd retention capability and the prevention effect simultaneously decreased, and as a result, the Cd in rice roots increased from 100.83 mg kg-1 to 146.03 mg kg-1 (3) Without exogenous Fe induction, P sufficiency continued to increase the amount of iron plaque and decrease the Cd in iron plaque, and increase the Cd in rice plants. These results suggested that P supply increases the amount of iron plaque, which is ineffective for Cd retention, such as non-reddish-brown iron plaque (NIP), and then decreases the capacity of iron plaque to retain Cd. Additionally, the P supply decreased the amount of formed iron plaque, causing the decreasing prevention effect. Therefore, excessive application of P fertilizer should be avoided in Cd-contaminated paddy fields.

Optimization of a Rhabdomyolysis Model in Mice With Exertional Heat Stroke Mouse Model of EHS-Rhabdomyolysis.

Exertional heat stroke (EHS) is a life-threatening disease characterized by high mortality and incidence of rhabdomyolysis (RM). It would therefore be valuable to establish a stable EHS-induced RM model that accurately reflects the clinical characteristics of EHS patients and provides an objective animal model for further study of the pathogenesis of RM. In the current study, 8∼9-week-old, male, wild-type C57BL/6J mice, at the stage of sexual maturity, were randomly divided into four groups: the EHS group, the classical heat stroke (CHS) group, the sham heat exercise group, and sham heat rest group. The survival rate of mice was determined under relatively high levels of temperature and humidity (37.5°C, 65% relative humidity (RH); 37.5°C, 70% RH; 39.5°C, 65% RH; and 39.5°C, 70% RH) as well as a high core temperature (Tc; 42, 42.5, and 43°C). Results showed that the environmental condition of 39.5°C and 65% RH was most suitable for EHS modeling. The end point of EHS evaluation was exhaustion or an individual's core temperature reaching 43°C. The survival rate of mice in the EHS group within 24 h under these conditions was 37.34%, which is consistent with the high mortality characteristics noted in EHS patients. Severe RM was observed in the EHS group by H&E staining and transmission electron microscopy. Creatine kinase levels in the EHS group mostly exceeded 10,000 U/L, which was approximately 10 times higher than that in the sham heat rest group. Renal tubules of the EHS group exhibited severe necrosis, and calcium overload in the skeletal muscles of this group was also observed using intravital 2-photon microscopy. In conclusion, we made improvements to a stable EHS-induced RM animal model to truly reflect the clinical characteristics of EHS patients. This new model should be helpful in the further study of RM pathogenesis.

Dexmedetomidine Attenuates Acute Lung Injury Induced by Heatstroke and Improve Outcome.

INTRODUCTION: Dexmedetomidine (DEX) has been demonstrated to inhibit inflammatory response and protect against multiorgan injury in various scenarios. The objectives of the present study were to ascertain whether DEX is able to attenuate acute lung injury (ALI) under heatstroke (HS), and to explore the underlying mechanism. METHODS: Male C57BL/6 mice were exposed to ambient temperature of 39.5 ±â€Š0.2°C until core temperature reach 43°C. DEX or 0.9% saline was injected i.p. immediately. At the end of the experiment, bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissue were harvested. RESULTS: HS induce ALI and pulmonary dysfunction, while DEX treatment could significantly inhibit lung injury and improve respiratory dysfunction under HS. The overall effect was beneficial and improved the 72 h cumulative survival rate of mice with HS. Furthermore, HS significantly elevated the levels of cytokines in BALF, as well as increased the activity of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)/MyD88/nuclear factor-κB (NFκB) signaling pathway in lung tissue, while DEX treatment could inhibit such effects. Finally, DEX could upregulate the expression of caveolin 1 downregulated by HS, which may contribute to the inhibition of TLR4/MyD88/NFκB signaling pathway. DISCUSSION: In conclusion, the present results indicated that DEX may protect against lung inflammatory response and injury under HS via TLR4/MyD88/NFκB signaling pathway, and caveolin-1 may participate in the effects.

Association studies of genetic polymorphism, environmental factors and their interaction in ischemic stroke.

Genetic background plays an important role in susceptibility to ischemic stroke. Our aim was to investigate the association of genetic polymorphisms and ischemic stroke and to evaluate their interaction with environmental risk factors in the Chinese population. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene I/D polymorphism, apolipoprotein E (ApoE) gene polymorphism, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene 677C/T polymorphism, and beta fibrinogen (Fgbeta) gene 148C/T polymorphism were analyzed in 100 patients and 100 matched controls. The subjects were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and denaturing high-performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC) analysis. Persons with the Fgbeta CT/TT, MTHFR CT/TT, and ACE ID/DD genotypes had an elevated incidence of ischemic stroke (OR 3.907, 95% CI, 1.160-13.162, P=0.028). Smokers with the Fgbeta CT/TT or APOEepsilon4epsilon3 genotype, as well as individuals with the Fgbeta CT/TT genotype who consumed alcohol were more likely to develop a stroke. The data indicate that certain unfavorable genotypic combinations act synergistically in the development of ischemic stroke in the Chinese population. Synergism was also observed between genotype and environmental risk factors. This study may facilitate the development of a strategy to effectively prevent ischemic strokes.

Comparison and correlation analysis of sleep parameters between watch-type sleep monitor (Actiwatch) and polysomnography / 北京大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#With the rapid development of sleep medicine, there are various methods for detecting sleep diseases. This study compared the correlation between the lightweight watch-type sleep monitor (Actiwatch) and the "gold standard" polysomnography (PSG) in the Chinese population, in order to provide a basis for clinical application.@*METHODS@#From August 2018 to December 2019, 121 subjects who simultaneously performed sleep breathing monitoring (PSG) and wearing a watch-type sleep monitor (Actiwatch) in the Sleep Center of Peking University People's Hospital were enrolled. All subjects received PSG and Actiwatch at the same time, and filled out the sleep diary next morning. Monitoring indicators were collected for linear correlation analysis and paired t test to compare the differences.@*RESULTS@#Under low sensitivity conditions, the correlation coefficient of total sleep time (TST) between PSG and Actiwatch was 0.53 (P < 0.05). Paired t test analysis showed that there was no significant difference between the TSTs of Actiwatch and PSG (t=-0.890, P=0.36). According to age stratification, the smaller the age, the stronger the correlation between the TSTs of Actiwatch and PSG, and the coefficient could be up to 0.92 (P < 0.05). Paired t test showed that there was no significant difference between them (t=-1.057, P=0.35). According to the stratification by diagnosis, the correlation coefficient between the TSTs of Actiwatch and PSG in normal PSG group could be as high as 0.79 (P < 0.05), the results of paired t test showed that there was no significant difference between the TSTs of Actiwatch and PSG in normal PSG group (t=-0.784, P=0.44).@*CONCLUSION@#As a wearable home recorder, when the analysis parameters of Actiwatch were set as low sensitivity, PSG and Actiwatch had the highest TST correlation. The younger the age, the stronger correlation between the TSTs of Actiwatch and PSG. The PSG and Actiwatch subjects with normal PSG presentation had a higher TST correlation.

Investigation of sleep disturbance and related factors in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome / 北京大学学报(医学版)

OBJECTIVE@#To investigate the prevalence of sleep disorders and the relevant determinants in a cohort of primary Sjögren' s syndrome (pSS) patients.@*METHODS@#One hundred and eighty-six pSS patients were included in the study, who were admitted to Peking University People' s Hospital and met the criteria of inclusion and exclusion. Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh sleep quality index(PSQI).Depression, anxiety were evaluated by patient health questionnaire (PHQ)-9, generalized anxiety disorder(GAD)-7, respectively. The demographic and clinical data were also recorded.Disease activity and damage were evaluated with the European League Against Rheumatism Sjögren's syndrome disease activity index (ESSDAI). According to the PSQI score>7, the pSS patients were divided into 152 cases of sleep disorder group and 34 cases of normal sleep group. Mann-Whitney U test, Chi-square test or Fisher' s exact test, independent samples t test, Spearman correlation analysis and Logistic regression were used for statistical analysis.@*RESULTS@#The prevalence of sleep disturbance (PSQI > 7) was 81.7% (152 / 186) in the pSS patients, and 52.7% (98/186) had moderate or severe sleep disorders (PSQI≥ 11). The mean PSQI score of sleep disordered group was (12.29±3.30), while the normal sleep group PSQI score was (5.50±1.20). The PSQI score, PHQ-9 score and GAD-7 score in the sleep-disordered group were significantly higher than those in the normal sleep group (P=0.000, 0.035, 0.031). The PSQI score in the sleep disordered group were significantly higher than those in the normal sleep group in seven aspects: subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disorders, hypnotic drug use and daytime dysfunction. All of them had statistical significance. According to the results of Spearman correlation analysis, PSQI had significantly positive correlation with course of disease, anxiety, depression score (r=0.151, 0.240, 0.421, P < 0.05), but negatively correlated with C3, C4 (r=-0.021, -0.235, P < 0.05). Logistic analysis identified the course of disease(OR=2.809, 95%CI: 1.21-6.52)and PHQ-9 score(OR=1.422, 95%CI: 1.04-1.94)as predictors of sleep disorders.@*CONCLUSION@#The incidence of sleep disorder in the pSS patients was higher, which was closely related to the course of disease, anxiety, depression and other factors. It is critical to assess and manage comprehensively the disease.

N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase V negatively regulates integrin α5ß1-mediated monocyte adhesion and transmigration through vascular endothelium.

Changes in the expression of glycosyltransferases that branch N-linked glycans are associated with many physiological and pathological events, such as cell adhesion, migration, proliferation and tumor cell malignancy. Here, the altered levels of N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase V (GnT-V) and its product ß(1,6)-linked GlcNAc in monocytes were observed during inflammation. The effects of GnT-V and aberrant N-linked ß(1,6) branching on monocyte adhesion through vascular endothelium and transmigration were investigated. During IFN-γ-induced inflammation, adhesion and transendothelial migration of THP-1 monocytes were enhanced, and the levels of GnT-V and ß(1,6)-linked GlcNAc in THP-1 monocytes were significantly decreased. Expression of the GnT-V shRNA vector in THP-1 cells reversed the abnormal IFN-γ-induced characteristics, indicating direct involvement of N-glycosylation in these biological effects. The enhanced adhesion and transendothelial migration were significantly inhibited by functional blockade with antibodies against integrin α5 or ß1 in IFN-γ-induced and GnT-V knockdown THP-1 cells, demonstrating the involvement of integrin α5ß1 in the monocyte-endothelium interaction. However, IFN-γ treatment and GnT-V knockdown in THP-1 cells lowered expression of N-linked ß(1,6) branching on integrin α5 and ß1, without affecting the total protein expression of the subunits. Decreased GnT-V expression caused marked enchancement of integrin-induced phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK). The augmented FAK-mediated ERK phosphorylation and activation were observed in IFN-γ-induced THP-1 cells. Furthermore, ERK inhibitor pre-treatment nearly abrogated the highly elevated IFN-γ-induced monocyte adhesion and transmigration, concomitant with reversal of the decrease in GnT-V and ß(1,6) branching. Our results demonstrate for the first time that decreased GnT-V activity due to inflammatory cytokine induction in human monocytes resulted in enchancement of integrin α5ß1-dependent monocyte-vascular endothelium adhesion and transmigration. Consequently, the activation of integrin caused elevation of FAK phosphorylation. These effects promoted FAK-mediated downstream signaling, including the ERK pathway, and indicate that GnT-V may be a potential therapeutic target for vascular inflammatory conditions.

Peripheral neuropathy in primary Sj(o)gren's syndrome / 中华风湿病学杂志

Objective To analyze the clinical manifestations of primary Sj(o)gren's syndrome (pSS)with peripheral neuropathies.Methods Eighty-six patients who fulfilled the 2002 American-European Consensus Group criteria for pSS were enrolled in the study.For each patient,medical data,including clinical,laboratory,immunologic and electromyography data were collected and analyzed.The clinical manifestations of primary Sj(o)gren's syndrome were compared between patients with and without peripheral neuropathy.Statistical methods used were t-test,chi-square test and Logistic regression.Results Eighty-six patients were analyzed,and neurological involvement was noted in 26％ (22/86) patients.The clinical spectrum of peripheral neuropathies encountered in Sj(o)gren's syndrome patients was wide,with sensory neuropathies being the most common.Median nerve,peroneal nerve and sural nerve were the most likely involved,and lower limb involvement accounted for 73％ (16/22).Peripheral neuropathy was diagnosed during the Sj(o)gren's syndrome course in all patients,and about 45％ patients' neurological involvement were diagnosed early in the course of the disease.The frequency of Raynaud's phenomenon was significantly higher (32％ vs 5％,P=0.002) as well as acroanesthesia (68％ vs 5％,P＜0.01) in pSS with peripheral neurological involvement than in pSS without peripheral neuropathy.The median values of EULAR Sj(o)gren's syndrome disease activity index (ESSDAI) were 5.3 (range 2.8-7.8) and 3.4 (range 1.5-5.3) in the PNS and non-PNS groups respectively (P＜0.01).We found a significant rise of peripheral neuropathy risk associated with Raynaud's phenomenon (relative risk 9.489,95％CI 2.191-41.093,P=0.003) and ESSDAI (relative risk 1.528,95％CI 1.179-1.979,P=0.001).Elevated titers of rheumatoid factor (P=0.023) and ANA (P=0.003) were common in patients with peripheral neuropathy.Conclusion Peripheral neuropathy is not a rare manifestation of pSS.Neurological involvement can be diagnosed early in the course of the disease.Raynaud's phenomenon and high disease activity may be the risk factors for peripheral neuropathy.

Upregulated PGC-NRF-mtTFA expressions contributed to the development of atherosclerosis in rabbits fed with a high fat diet / 中华心血管病杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the relationship between PPAR coactivator 1 (PGC-1), nuclear respiratory factor (NRF), mitochondrial transcription factor A (mtTFA) expressions of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) and development of atherosclerosis in a rabbit model.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Atherosclerotic model was established by feeding the rabbits with high-fat diet for 4, 8 and 12 weeks (n = 10 each). Another 8 rabbits fed with normal diet served as normal controls. Intima-media ratio, mRNA and protein expressions of PGC-1, NRF, mtTFA and SMemb, a marker for synthetic VSMC, were detected on aorta specimens.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>With the blood lipid increased, the intima-media ratio rose from (0.031 +/- 0.010) microm up to (0.814 +/- 0.258) microm during 12 weeks. Increasing SMemb means that synthetic VSMC grew more and more. The expressions of PGC-1 became significant after 4 weeks (P < 0.01), while that of NRF-1 and mtTFA rose significantly after 8 weeks (P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The PGC-NRF-mtTFA pathway might play a critical role in VSMC proliferation and development of atherosclerosis.</p>

Study on protective effects of Panax notoginseng saponins on doxorubicin-induced myocardial damage / 中国中药杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effects of Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) on acute doxorubicin-induced myocardial injury in mice and the anti-tumor efficiency of doxorubicin.</p><p><b>METHOD</b>Mice were given a dose of 15 mg x kg(-1) doxorubicin ip alone or in combination with 25, 50, 100 mg x kg(-1) PNS ig, 5 days before doxorubicin administration and following 3 days. Cardiotoxic effects were measured by serum levels of dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase (CK) and creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB) and activities of antioxidant enzymes in heart tissue. In vitro experiments were performed using embryonic rat heart cell H9C2 to assess the protective effect of PNS (6.25-100 mg x L(-1)) against doxorubicin on cell viability. Anti-tumor efficiency of doxorubicin was evaluated by cytotoxic experiments using three cancer cell lines.</p><p><b>RESULT</b>Pretreatment with PNS significantly lowered the levels of serum LDH, CK and CK-MB, and normalized myocardial superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and catalase activities. PNS also attenuated the inhibitory effect of doxorubicin on the viability of H9C2 cells, but did not compromise its inhibitory effect on proliferation of cancer cells.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>PNS was demonstrated to attenuate doxorubicin-induced myocardial damage without compromising its anti-tumor activity.</p>

Pathogenic Role of Glutamic Acid in Tourette's Syndrome / 实用儿科临床杂志

Objective To investigate the effect of glutamic acid (monosodium glutamate,MSG) on Tourette's syndrome (TS). Methods These rats were divided into 2 groups: one group with acute intracerebroventricularly injection (ICV) of MSG or artificial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and another group with chronic administration of MSG in a dose of 40 mg/kg in drinking water everyday. Observers who were blind to the two- part subjects assessed the scores of TS- like stereotyped locomotion. Results 1. These groups of 100 ?g or 200 ?g glutamic acid may induce significant TS - like stereotyped locomotion ( P

Inhibitory effect of melatonin on morphine withdrawal syndromes and the content of NO in plasma and brain tissue in morphine dependent mice / 药学学报

<p><b>AIM</b>To observe the effect of melatonin (MT) on morphine withdrawal syndromes and determine the content of NO in plasma and brain tissue in morphine dependent mice.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>A physical dependent model in mice was established by subcutaneous injection of morphine. MT (15 mg.kg-1, qd x 3) was given by intragastric infusion (ig) for three days. Withdrawal syndromes were induced by intraperitoneal injection of naloxon (5 mg.kg-1). The intensity of withdrawal syndromes was evaluated according to the jumping latency, the jumping times and the body weight loss. The content of NO was detected with Griess method.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The jumping latency of morphine withdrawal reaction was prolonged and the jumping times were reduced obviously by ig MT. The increased NO content in plasma and brain tissue in morphine dependent mice was reduced by ig MT.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The physical withdrawal syndromes and the content of NO in plasma and brain tissue in morphine dependent mice are inhibited by MT.</p>