Kinetic, isotherm, and thermodynamic studies of the adsorption of dyes from aqueous solution by cellulose-based adsorbents.

In this study, a highly efficient and eco-friendly porous cellulose-based aerogel was synthesized by grafting polyethyleneimine onto quaternized cellulose (PQC) to remove the anionic dye Congo Red (CR). The prepared aerogel had a good flexibility and formability. The adsorbents were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and elemental analysis. The results showed that there were many amino groups on CE/PQC aerogel and the structure was porous, which increased the adsorption capacity. The effects of initial concentration, adsorbent dose, contact time, temperature, and pH on the dye sorption were all investigated. The adsorption mechanism was also explored, including adsorption kinetics, adsorption isotherms and thermodynamic studies of adsorption. The results showed that the adsorption kinetics and isotherms fitted the pseudo-second-order kinetic model and Langmuir isotherm, respectively. The Langmuir isotherm revealed that the maximum theoretical adsorption capacity of the aerogels for CR was 518.403 mg g-1. The thermodynamic parameters including Gibbs free energy change (ΔG0), enthalpy change (ΔH0) and entropy change (ΔS0), showed the adsorption process was exothermic and spontaneous. These results imply that this new absorbent can be universally and effectively used for the removal of dyes from industrial textile wastewater.

Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess with purulent meningitis and endogenous endophthalmitis: A case report.

This is a rare but typical case of a Klebsiella pneumoniae liver abscess with migratory infections including purulent meningitis and endogenous endophthalmitis. The patient had a chief complaint of 7 days of fever, 4 days of blurry vision, and 4 h of glossolalia. Ultrasound scan and computed tomography (CT) suggested a liver abscess. Both blood and drainage fluid cultures grew K. pneumoniae with a high mucosal phenotype. The patient was finally diagnosed with a K. pneumoniae liver abscess, purulent meningitis, and endogenous K. pneumoniae endophthalmitis in the right eye. Ultrasound-guided percutaneous catheter drainage (PCD) of the liver abscess was performed, and meropenem was used to control infection. The patient was given 0.1 ml of vancomycin (10 g/L) and 0.1 ml of ceftazidime (20 g/L) were by intravitreal injection for the treatment of endophthalmitis. The infection was gradually controlled after such treatments. The patient was discharged from our hospital with an improved condition. However, during the time of follow-up, she developed complications due to severe pneumonia and eventually died in a local hospital. This case revealed that a rapid diagnosis followed by appropriate treatment would improve prognosis and prevent severe metastatic complications.

Mapping the Research on Health Policy and Services in the Last Decade (2009-2018): A Bibliometric Analysis.

Background: Health policy and services is a continuously evolving field of research that can inform prevention and control efforts for a variety of health conditions. The "Healthy China" strategy reflects the demand to formulate health policy that suits China's national needs and goals. Applying bibliometric analysis to grasp the general situation of health policy and services research globally will be conducive to informing China's designated health plans and initiatives. Method: A bibliometric analysis of 58,065 articles on "Health Policy and Services" topics was conducted. The document type was restricted to journal articles that were published in the Web of Science database between the time parameter of January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2018. Data was collected on indicators such as the annual number of publications in the field of health policy and services, the country where the publication is issued, the publication organization, the source journal, the frequency of citations, research hotspots, and academic areas. Results: The overall number of articles published in Web of Science on health policy and services research has increased over time. The United States has the largest number of articles in the field. The institution with the highest number of citations in the field is Harvard University and the journal with the most published articles in the field is Health Affairs. Research hotspots in the health policy and services field include topics such as "HIV Infections," "Primary Health Care," "Delivery of Health Care," and "Health Services Accessibility." Conclusion: Experts in the field of health policy and services globally are dedicated to researching the most effective ways to improve people's health and living standards. There is a certain gap in the depth of health policy and services research between China and developed countries and regions such as Europe or America. China must learn from foreign experience to conduct meaningful and informative research that can aid in the formulation of multi-dimensional health policies in specific areas such as environmental infectious diseases, where attention is needed in areas beyond the medical and health system.

Biochar increases Panax notoginseng's survival under continuous cropping by improving soil properties and microbial diversity.

Replant problem is widespread in agricultural production and causes serious economic losses, which has limited sustainable cultivation of Panax notoginseng (PN), a well-known medicinal plant in Asia. Here we conducted a field experiment to investigate the effectiveness and possible mechanisms of biochar to improve its survival under continuous cropping. Biochar from tobacco stems was applied at 4 rates of 9.0, 12, 15, and 18 t/ha to a soil where PN has been continuously cultivated for 10 years. After 18 months, soil properties, 5 allelochemicals, including p-hydroxybenzoic acid, vanillic acid, syringic acid, p-coumaric acid, and ferulic acid, key pathogen Fusarium oxysporum, microbial community, and PN survival rate were investigated. Our results show that 10 years' continuous PN cropping led to soil acidification, accumulation of NH4+-N and F. oxysporum, and low PN survival rate. However, biochar increased its survival rate from 6.0% in the control to 69.5% under 15 t/ha treatment. Moreover, soil pH, available P and K, organic matter content, and microbial diversity were increased while NH4+-N and allelochemicals vanillic acid and syringic acid contents were decreased under biochar treatment (P<0.05). Soil available K increased from 177 to 283 mg·kg-1 while NH4+-N decreased from 6.73 to 4.79 mg·kg-1 under 15 t/ha treatment. Further, soil pH, available P and K, and microbial diversity (bacteria and fungi) were positively correlated with PN survival rate, however, NH4+-N content was negatively correlated (P<0.05). Our study indicates that biochar effectively increased the survival rate of Panax notoginseng under continuous cropping by improving soil properties and microbial diversity.

Key soil parameters affecting the survival of Panax notoginseng under continuous cropping.

Negative plant-soil feedbacks lead to the poor growth of Panax notoginseng (Sanqi), a well-known herb in Asia and has been used worldwide, under continuous cropping. However, the key soil parameters causing the replant problem are still unclear. Here we conducted a field experiment after 5-year continuous cropping. Sanqi seedlings were cultivated in 7 plots (1.5 m × 2 m), which were randomly assigned along a survival gradient. In total, 13 important soil parameters were measured to understand their relationship with Sanqi's survival. Pearson correlation analysis showed that 6 soil parameters, including phosphatase, urease, cellulase, bacteria/fungi ratio, available N, and pH, were all correlated with Sanqi's survival rate (P < 0.05). Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated that they explained 61% of the variances based on the first component, with soil pH being closely correlated with other parameters affecting Sanqi's survival. The optimum pH for Sanqi growth is about 6.5, but the mean soil pH in the study area is 5.27 (4.86-5.68), therefore it is possible to ameliorate the poor growth of Sanqi by increasing soil pH. This study may also help to reduce the replant problem of other crops under continuous cropping since it is widespread in agricultural production.

LECT2, A Novel and Direct Biomarker of Liver Fibrosis in Patients With CHB.

Chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients with severe liver fibrosis would be more likely to progress to a poorer prognosis. Treatment is considered once the liver fibrosis reaches significant liver fibrosis (≥S2). Leukocyte cell-derived chemotaxin-2 (LECT2) has been shown to contribute to liver fibrosis progression. No research has focused on the role of LECT2 in liver fibrosis in CHB patients. This study enrolled 227 CHB patients and divided them into the training group (n = 147) and validation group (n = 80), respectively. The expression of LECT2 in serum, protein and mRNA of the human liver tissues was detected to analyze the possible associations between LECT2 and liver fibrosis. A receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) was used to estimate the efficacy of LECT2 for predicting liver fibrosis. The data showed that there was a positive relationship between LECT2 and the progression of liver fibrosis. In the training group, LECT2 was demonstrated to have better effectiveness than APRI and FIB-4. The AUC was 0.861, 0.698, and 0.734 for significant liver fibrosis, and 0.855, 0.769, and 0.752 for advanced liver fibrosis. Besides, the efficacy of LECT2 in different statuses of patients with CHB was examined and the effectiveness of LECT2 had also been confirmed in the validation group. All the results confirmed that LECT2 could act as a perfect predictor and thus offers a novel and direct biomarker to estimate liver fibrosis more accurately.

[Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for Treatment of T Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma - Clinical observation of 10 Cases].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the result of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) for treatment of patients with T cell Lymphoblastic lymphoma(T-LBL). METHODS: The engraftment, graft versus host disease (GVHD), infection, relapse and survival of 10 T-LBL patients received allo-HSCT was observed. The clinical outcome of allo-HSCT for T-LBL patients was analyzed. RESULTS: The median age of patients was 25 years old, 10 (6 males and 4 females) T-LBL patients received allo-HSCT including 3 from HLA-matched unrelated donors, 3 from HLA-matched sibling donors, 2 from HLA haploidentical sibling donors, and 2 from haploidentical related donors. The clinical staging showed that 1 case was in stage III and 8 cases were in stage IV. The bone marrow was involved in 7 patients. All the 10 patients achieved engraftment, and the median times of neutrophil and platelet engraftment were 11 (10-19) days and 12(7-19) days, respectively. Acute GVHD occurred in 5 patients and chronic GVHD occured in 1 patient. After the median follow-up of 26 months (11-51 months), 3 patients died, out of them 1 died from relapse after transplantation, 1 from infection and 1 from GVHD. The relapse, overall survival, and disease-free survival rate were 10%, 70%, 70%,respectively. And the estimated overall survival rate was 66.7%. CONCLUSION: T-LBL has high rate of relapse and poor prognosis. The allo-HSCT can improve the survival of patients with T-LBL, and is an effective method for treatment of T-LBL patients.

Effect of Cl- channel blockers on aconitine-induced arrhythmias in rat heart.

The effects of Cl- channel blockers 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)benzoic acid (NPPB) and niflumic acid (NFA) on aconitine-induced arrhythmias were investigated. Left ventricular pressure and electrocardiogram were monitored in Langendorff-perfused rat hearts. Whole-cell patch-clamp and current-clamp techniques were used to measure sodium current (I(Na)) and action potential (AP), respectively, in single rat cardiac ventricular myocytes. Addition of the Na+ channel agonist aconitine (0.1 microM) to the perfusion solution produced polymorphic ventricular arrhythmias with a latent period of 25.5 +/- 6.3 s. NPPB could reverse aconitine-induced arrhythmias. A similar effect was observed by using NFA. NPPB and NFA reversibly depressed the upstroke of the AP in a dose-dependent manner with IC50 values of approximately 12.3 and approximately 73.1 microM, respectively, without significantly affecting the resting potential of rat ventricular myocytes. Both Cl- channel blockers inhibited I(Na) and induced a leftward shift of the steady-state inactivation of I(Na). In conclusion, the results of this study demonstrate that NPPB as well as NFA can suppress aconitine-induced arrhythmias in rat hearts mainly by inhibiting cardiac I(Na).