Research Progress on the Degradation of Organic Pollutants in Water by Activated Persulfate Using Biochar-Loaded Nano Zero-Valent Iron.

Biochar (BC) is a new type of carbon material with a high specific surface area, porous structure, and good adsorption capacity, which can effectively adsorb and enrich organic pollutants. Meanwhile, nano zero-valent iron (nZVI) has excellent catalytic activity and can rapidly degrade organic pollutants through reduction and oxidation reactions. The combined utilization of BC and nZVI can not only give full play to their advantages in the adsorption and catalytic degradation of organic pollutants, but also help to reduce the agglomeration of nZVI, thus improving its efficiency in water treatment and providing strong technical support for water resources protection and environmental quality improvement. This article provides a detailed introduction to the preparation method and characterization technology, reaction mechanism, influencing factors, and specific applications of BC and nZVI, and elaborates on the research progress of BC-nZVI in activating persulfate (PS) to degrade organic pollutants in water. It has been proven experimentally that BC-nZVI can effectively remove phenols, dyes, pesticides, and other organic pollutants. Meanwhile, in response to the existing problems in current research, this article proposes future research directions and challenges, and summarizes the application prospects and development trends of BC-nZVI in water treatment. In summary, BC-nZVI-activated PS is an efficient technology for degrading organic pollutants in water, providing an effective solution for protecting water resources and improving environmental quality, and has significant application value.

Research Progress of Ozone/Peroxymonosulfate Advanced Oxidation Technology for Degrading Antibiotics in Drinking Water and Wastewater Effluent: A Review.

Nowadays, antibiotics are widely used, increasing the risk of contamination of the water body and further threatening human health. The traditional water treatment process is less efficient in degrading antibiotics, and the advanced oxidation process (AOPs) is cleaner and more efficient than the traditional biochemical degradation process. The combined ozone/peroxymonosulfate (PMS) advanced oxidation process (O3/PMS) based on sulfate radical (SO4•-) and hydroxyl radical (•OH) has developed rapidly in recent years. The O3/PMS process has become one of the most effective ways to treat antibiotic wastewater. The reaction mechanism of O3/PMS was reviewed in this paper, and the research and application progress of the O3/PMS process in the degradation of antibiotics in drinking water and wastewater effluent were evaluated. The operation characteristics and current application range of the process were summarized, which has a certain reference value for further research on O3/PMS process.

Redox-Active Polymers as Robust Electron-Shuttle Co-Catalysts for Fast Fe3+/Fe2+ Circulation and Green Fenton Oxidation.

Accelerating the rate-limiting Fe3+/Fe2+ circulation in Fenton reactions through the addition of reducing agents (or co-catalysts) stands out as one of the most promising technologies for rapid water decontamination. However, conventional reducing agents such as hydroxylamine and metal sulfides are greatly restricted by three intractable challenges: (1) self-quenching effects, (2) heavy metal dissolution, and (3) irreversible capacity decline. To this end, we, for the first time, introduced redox-active polymers as electron shuttles to expedite the Fe3+/Fe2+ cycle and promote H2O2 activation. The reduction of Fe3+ mainly took place at active N-H or O-H bonds through a proton-coupled electron transfer process. As electron carriers, H atoms at the solid phase could effectively inhibit radical quenching, avoid metal dissolution, and maintain long-term reducing capacity via facile regeneration. Experimental and density functional theory (DFT) calculation results indicated that the activity of different polymers shows a volcano curve trend as a function of the energy barrier, highest occupied molecular orbital-lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (HOMO-LUMO) gap, and vertical ionization potential. Thanks to the appropriate redox ability, polyaniline outperforms other redox-active polymers (e.g., poypyrrole, hydroquinone resin, poly(2,6-diaminopyridine), and hexaazatrinaphthalene framework) with a highest iron reduction capacity up to 5.5 mmol/g, which corresponds to the state transformation from leucoemeraldine to emeraldine. Moreover, the proposed system exhibited high pollutant removal efficiency in a flow-through reactor for 8000 bed volumes without an obvious decline in performance. Overall, this work established a green and sustainable oxidation system, which offers great potential for practical organic wastewater remediation.

First Report of Root Rot Caused by Pythium dissotocum on Tobacco in China.

Tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) is an important economic crop that is widely grown around the world. Its annual production in China is estimated at 2.2 million tons (Berbec and Matyka 2020). Since 2022, a root rot disease was sporadically observed on tobacco seedlings on cultivar Yunyan 87 in cultivated tobacco fields in the Hunan province of China. A disease incidence of about 10% occurred across 48 ha of tobacco fields. The affected tobacco plants had slow and stunted growth with yellowing leaves. The roots turned grayish brown, decayed, and died. Diseased roots were collected from six fields and cut into small pieces (5 mm ×5 mm) from the edge of the rotted portions, and then sterilized with 70% ethanol for 10 s, 0.1% HgCl2 for 1 min, and washed in sterilized water three times. All the sterilized tissue were placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium and cultured at 26 ℃ in the dark. About 3 days later, colonies with similar morphology were removed and sub-cultured on fresh PDA. A total of six strains were obtained from six tobacco samples. Strains were white and had radial growth on PDA. Hyphae were aseptate and the sporangia were filamentous. The oogonia were subglobose, smooth, 16.04 ± 0.25 µm (n=50) in diameter, and developed on unbranched stalks. The antheridia were barrel shaped and clavate. Oospores were globose, aplerotic or nearly plerotic, measuring 6.62 ± 0.33 µm (n=50). These morphological characteristics were consistent with the description of Pythium spp. (van der Plaats-Niterink 1981). For molecular identification, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of rDNA and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (Cox I) of a representative isolate, GF-3, were amplified and sequenced (GenBank accession nos. OR228424 for ITS and OR237556 for Cox I) using universal primers ITS1/ITS4 (White et al. 1990) and FM58/FM66, respectively (Villa et al. 2006). BLASTn analysis revealed that the ITS and Cox I sequences were 99.76 % (838/840 bp) and 99.85% (671/672 bp) identical to the corresponding sequences of P. dissotocum strain CBS 166.68 (AY598634.2) and UM982 (MT981147.1), respectively. A neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree based on the Cox I sequence showed that GF-3 grouped in the P. dissotocum branch. Based on morphological and molecular characteristics, GF-3 was identified to be P. dissotocum. For pathogenicity testing, four- to five-leaf-old healthy potted tobacco seedlings of the Yunyan 87 cultivar were inoculated with a zoospore suspension (1 × 105 zoospores/ml), which was induced on V8-juice medium. The zoospore suspension was introduced into the soil around plant roots and 10 mL of inoculum was used for each plant. In the control group, plants were inoculated with sterilized water. All of the treated plants were kept in humid chambers at 26°C under a 12 h/12 h photoperiod. The pathogenicity assays were performed twice, with each treatment having three replicated plants. After 5 days, tobacco seedlings inoculated with P. dissotocum showed symptoms resembling that observed in the field. However, the control plants remained healthy. Pythium dissotocum was re-isolated from the infected plants and identified by morphological and molecular methods, thus confirming Koch's postulates. Pythium dissotocum has been reported causing root rot in other plants, including hydroponic lettuce (McGehee et al. 2018) and spinach (Huo et al. 2020). Also, many Pythium species have recently been recovered from float-bed tobacco transplant production greenhouses (Zhang et al. 2022). However, to our knowledge, this is the first report of root rot on tobacco caused by P. dissotocum in China. Since this disease could greatly affect tobacco seedling establishment in the field, appropriate management strategies need to be developed to reduce further losses in tobacco planting fields.

The Removal of Pollutants from Wastewater Using Magnetic Biochar: A Scientometric and Visualization Analysis.

In recent years, the use of magnetic biochar in wastewater treatment has shown significant effects and attracted scholars' attention. However, due to the relatively short research time and the lack of systematic summaries, it is difficult to provide a more in-depth analysis. This study utilizes RStudio and CiteSpace software to comprehensively analyze the research trends and progress of magnetic biochar in wastewater treatment. The analysis of bibliometrics is performed on 551 relevant papers retrieved from the Web of Science, spanning the period between 2011 and 2022. The most influential countries, institutions, journals, disciplinary distribution, and top 10 authors and papers in this field have been identified. The latest dataset has been used for keyword clustering and burst analysis. The results indicated that: (1) Bin Gao is the most influential author in this field, and high-level journals such as Bioresource Technology are more inclined to publish articles in the field of magnetic biochar. (2) Research in this field has predominantly focused on the removal of heavy metals and organic compounds. Keyword burst analysis shows a shift in research direction towards the removal of complex organic pollutants recently. (3) For the future development of magnetic biochar, an environment-friendly approach, economic viability, and joint technology are the directions that need more exploration. Finally, this paper provides a summary of the various adsorption mechanisms of magnetic biochar and several common modification methods, aiming to assist scholars in their research endeavors.

Evaluating the effectiveness of labor protection policy on occupational injuries caused by extreme heat in a large subtropical city of China.

On March 1, 2012, the Chinese government implemented the Administrative Measures on Heatstroke Prevention (AMHP2012) to combat the occupational health impacts of extreme heat, and reducing occupational injury was one of the main purposes. This study aimed at quantifying the intervention effects of the AMHP2012 on extreme heat-related occupational injuries and subsequent insurance payouts in Guangzhou, China. Data on occupational injuries and insurance payouts were collected from March 1, 2011, to February 28, 2013, from the occupational injury insurance system of Guangzhou. A quasi-experimental design with before-after control was adopted. Interrupted time series analysis was performed to quantify the change of occupational injuries and insurance payouts after policy implementation. The distributed lag non-linear model was used to explore whether injury claims and insurance payouts due to extreme heat decreased. A total of 9851 injury claims were included in the analysis. After policy implementation, the risk of occupational injuries and insurance payouts decreased by 13% (RR = 0.87, 95%CI: 0.75, 0.99) and 24% (RR = 0.76, 95% CI: 0.58, 0.94), respectively. The attributable fraction of extreme heat-related occupational injuries decreased from 3.17% (95%eCI: 1.35, 4.69) to 1.52% (95%eCI: -0.36, 3.15), which contributed to 0.86 million USD reduction of insurance payouts. Both males and females, low-educated, young and middle-aged workers, workers at small or medium-sized enterprises, engaging in manufacturing, and with both minor and severe injuries were apparently associated with decreased rates of extreme heat-related occupational injuries. The AMHP2012 policy contributed to the reduction of extreme heat-related occupational injuries and insurance payouts in Guangzhou, China, and this research provided novel evidence for decision-makers to better understand the necessity of implementing health protection policies among laborers under climate change.

Preparing the next generation of health professionals to tackle climate change: Are China's medical students ready?

BACKGROUND: Climate change is the biggest global health threat of the 21st century. Medical students will lead the health sector responses and adaptation efforts in the near future, yet little is known in China about their knowledge, perceptions and preparedness to meet these challenges. METHODS: A nationwide study was conducted at five medical universities across different regions of China using a two-stage stratified cluster sampling design. A self-administered questionnaire was applied to collect the information including perception, preparedness and educational needs in response to climate change. The data were first analyzed descriptively, then chi-square tests and kruskal wallis tests were applied to determined differences among subgroups, and logistic regression analysis were deployed to detect the socio-demographic factors influencing student's perception. RESULTS: A total of 1436 medical students were approached and 1387 participated in the study (96.6% response rate). Most students were aware of the health impacts because of climate change, with over 90% perceived air quality-related and heat-related illness, while only a small part identified undernutrition and mental health. Approximately 90% embraced their role in tackling climate change, but 50% reported themselves and the health sectors were not adequately prepared. Compared to clinical students, preventive medicine students were more likely to perceive their responsibility to address climate change (OR:1.36, 95% CI: 1.04, 1.78). Also, 80% students admitted insufficient information and knowledge on climate change and health. Most students agreed that climate change and its health impacts should be included into their current curriculum. CONCLUSIONS: Medical students in China were aware of climate change and felt responsible, but were not ready to make responses to its health impacts. Educational efforts should reinforce eco-medical literacy development and capacity building in the era of climate change.

Enhanced gap junctional channel activity between vascular smooth muscle cells in cerebral artery of spontaneously hypertensive rats.

The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of hypertension on the gap junctions between vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) in the cerebral arteries (CAs) of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). The functions of gap junctions in the CAs of VSMCs in SHRs and control normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats were studied using whole-cell patch clamp recordings and pressure myography, and the expression levels of connexins were analyzed using reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analyses. Whole-cell patch clamp measurements revealed that the membrane capacitance and conductance of in situ VSMCs in the CAs were significantly greater in SHRs than in WKY rats, suggesting that gap junction coupling is enhanced between VSMCs in the CAs of SHRs. Application of the endothelium-independent vasoconstrictors KCl or phenylephrine (PE) stimulated a greater vasoconstriction in the CAs of SHRs than in those of WKY rats. The EC50 value of KCl was 24.9 mM (n = 14) and 36.9 mM (n=12) for SHRs and WKY rats, respectively. The EC50 value of PE was 0.9 µM (n = 7) and 2.2 µM (n = 7) for SHRs and WKY rats, respectively. Gap junction inhibitors 18ß-glycyrrhetinic acid (18ß-GA), niflumic acid (NFA), and 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate (2-APB) attenuated KCl-induced vasoconstriction in SHRs and WKY rats. The mRNA and protein expression levels of the gap junction protein connexin 45 (Cx45) were significantly higher in the CAs of SHRs than in those of WKY rats. Phosphorylated Cx43 protein expression was significantly higher in the CAs of SHRs than in those of WKY rats, despite the total Cx43 mRNA and protein expression levels in the cerebral artery (CA) exhibiting no significant difference between SHRs and WKY rats. Increases in the expression of Cx45 and phosphorylation of Cx43 may promote gap junction communication among VSMCs in the CAs of SHRs, which may enhance the contractile response of the CA to vasoconstrictors.

[Study on volatile components of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos in bud stage extended type].

Volatile components of Lonicerae Japonicae Flos in bud stage extended type Beihua 1 were determined by the headspace solid-phase micro-extraction, compared with traditional cultivar Damaohua. There are fifty-two volatile compounds were identified and the relative content of the volatiles was calculated by the area normalization method. Thirty-nine compounds were found in Beihua 1, whereas thirty-three components in Damaohua. Total twenty identical compounds existed in Beihua 1 and Damaohua. The contents of alcohols and hydrocarbons of Beihua 1 were higher significantly than that of Damaohua, while significantly lower than that of Damaohua in ketones content. Besides, twenty components were only detected in Beihua 1, such as methyl nicotinate, hexadecanoic acid, methyl ester,acetophenone, nonanoic acid.

The enhancement of Cx45 expression and function in renal interlobar artery of spontaneously hypertensive rats at different age.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: This study was designed to investigate the expression and function of gap junction protein connexin 45 (Cx45) in renal interlobar artery (RIA) of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), and the association between hypertension and enhanced vasoconstrictive response in SHR. METHODS: Western blot analysis and pressure myography were used to examine the differences in expression and function of Cx45 in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) of RIA between SHR and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. RESULTS: Our results demonstrated that 1) whole-cell patch clamp measurements showed that the membrane capacitance and conductance of in-situ RIA VSMCs of SHR were significantly greater than those of WKY rats (p<0.05, n=6), suggesting that the coupling of gap junction between VSMCs of RIA was enhanced in SHR; 2) the KCl or phenylephrine (PE)-stimulated RIA constriction was more pronounced in SHR than that in WKY rats (p<0.05, n=10). After applying a gap junction inhibitor 18ß-glycyrrhetintic acid (18ß-GA), the inhibitory effect of 18ß-GA on KCl or PE-induced vasoconstriction was greater in SHR (p<0.05, n=10); and 3) the expression of Cx45 in RIA of SHR was greater than that in WKY rats (p<0.05, n=3) at 4, 12 and 48 wks of age. CONCLUSIONS: The hypertension-induced elevation of Cx45 may affect communication between VSMCs and coupling between VSMCs and endothelium, which results in an increased vasoconstrictive response in renal artery and might contribute to the development of hypertension.

Disaster resilience in tertiary hospitals: a cross-sectional survey in Shandong Province, China.

BACKGROUND: Hospital disaster resilience can be defined as a hospital's ability to resist, absorb, and respond to the shock of disasters while maintaining critical functions, and then to recover to its original state or adapt to a new one. This study aims to explore the status of resilience among tertiary hospitals in Shandong Province, China. METHODS: A stratified random sample (n = 50) was derived from tertiary A, tertiary B, and tertiary C hospitals in Shandong Province, and was surveyed by questionnaire. Data on hospital characteristics and 8 key domains of hospital resilience were collected and analysed. Variables were binary, and analysed using descriptive statistics such as frequencies. RESULTS: A response rate of 82% (n = 41) was attained. Factor analysis identified four key factors from eight domains which appear to reflect the overall level of disaster resilience. These were hospital safety, disaster management mechanisms, disaster resources and disaster medical care capability. The survey demonstrated that in regard to hospital safety, 93% had syndromic surveillance systems for infectious diseases and 68% had evaluated their safety standards. In regard to disaster management mechanisms, all had general plans, while only 20% had specific plans for individual hazards. 49% had a public communication protocol and 43.9% attended the local coordination meetings. In regard to disaster resources, 75.6% and 87.5% stockpiled emergency drugs and materials respectively, while less than a third (30%) had a signed Memorandum of Understanding with other hospitals to share these resources. Finally in regard to medical care, 66% could dispatch an on-site medical rescue team, but only 5% had a 'portable hospital' function and 36.6% and 12% of the hospitals could surge their beds and staff capacity respectively. The average beds surge capacity within 1 day was 13%. CONCLUSIONS: This study validated the broad utility of a framework for understanding and measuring the level of hospital resilience. The survey demonstrated considerable variability in disaster resilience arrangements of tertiary hospitals in Shandong province, and the difference between tertiary A hospitals and tertiary B hospitals was also identified in essential areas.

Development of hospital disaster resilience: conceptual framework and potential measurement.

OBJECTIVE: Despite 'hospital resilience' gaining prominence in recent years, it remains poorly defined. This article aims to define hospital resilience, build a preliminary conceptual framework and highlight possible approaches to measurement. METHODS: Searches were conducted of the commonly used health databases to identify relevant literature and reports. Search terms included 'resilience and framework or model' or 'evaluation or assess or measure and hospital and disaster or emergency or mass casualty and resilience or capacity or preparedness or response or safety'. Articles were retrieved that focussed on disaster resilience frameworks and the evaluation of various hospital capacities. RESULT: A total of 1480 potentially eligible publications were retrieved initially but the final analysis was conducted on 47 articles, which appeared to contribute to the study objectives. Four disaster resilience frameworks and 11 evaluation instruments of hospital disaster capacity were included. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Hospital resilience is a comprehensive concept derived from existing disaster resilience frameworks. It has four key domains: hospital safety; disaster preparedness and resources; continuity of essential medical services; recovery and adaptation. These domains were categorised according to four criteria, namely, robustness, redundancy, resourcefulness and rapidity. A conceptual understanding of hospital resilience is essential for an intellectual basis for an integrated approach to system development. This article (1) defines hospital resilience; (2) constructs conceptual framework (including key domains); (3) proposes comprehensive measures for possible inclusion in an evaluation instrument; and (4) develops a matrix of critical issues to enhance hospital resilience to cope with future disasters.

Effects of dissolved organic matter, pH and nutrient on ciprofloxacin bioaccumulation and toxicity in duckweed.

Water pollution induced by antibiotics has garnered considerable concern, necessitating urgent and effective removal methods. This study focused on exploring ciprofloxacin (CIP) removal by duckweed and assessing CIP bioaccumulation and toxic effects within duckweed under varying dissolved organic matter categories, pH levels, and nutrient (nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P)) levels. The results revealed the proficient and rapid elimination of CIP from water by duckweed, resulting in 86.17 % to 92.82 % removal efficiency at the end of the 7-day experiment. Across all exposure groups, varying degrees of CIP bioaccumulation in duckweed were evident, with uptake established as a primary pathway for CIP elimination within this plant. Additionally, five CIP metabolites were identified in duckweed tissues. Interestingly, the presence of humic acid (HA) and fulvic acid (FA) reduced CIP absorption by duckweed, with FA yielding a more pronounced impact. Optimal CIP removal was recorded at a pH of 7.5, while duckweed displayed heightened physiological stress induced by CIP at pH 8.5. Although the influence of N and P concentrations on CIP removal by duckweed was modest, excessive N and P levels intensified the physiological strain of CIP on duckweed.

Atomic-Level Engineered Cobalt Catalysts for Fenton-Like Reactions: Synergy of Single Atom Metal Sites and Nonmetal-Bonded Functionalities.

Single atom catalysts (SACs) are atomic-level-engineered materials with high intrinsic activity. Catalytic centers of SACs are typically the transition metal (TM)-nonmetal coordination sites, while the functions of coexisting non-TM-bonded functionalities are usually overlooked in catalysis. Herein, the scalable preparation of carbon-supported cobalt-anchored SACs (CoCN) with controlled Co─N sites and free functional N species is reported. The role of metal- and nonmetal-bonded functionalities in the SACs for peroxymonosulfate (PMS)-driven Fenton-like reactions is first systematically studied, revealing their contribution to performance improvement and pathway steering. Experiments and computations demonstrate that the Co─N3C coordination plays a vital role in the formation of a surface-confined PMS* complex to trigger the electron transfer pathway and promote kinetics because of the optimized electronic state of Co centers, while the nonmetal-coordinated graphitic N sites act as preferable pollutant adsorption sites and additional PMS activation sites to accelerate electron transfer. Synergistically, CoCN exhibits ultrahigh activity in PMS activation for p-hydroxybenzoic acid oxidation, achieving complete degradation within 10 min with an ultrahigh turnover frequency of 0.38 min-1, surpassing most reported materials. These findings offer new insights into the versatile functions of N species in SACs and inspire rational design of high-performance catalysts in complicated heterogeneous systems.

Biomarkers of preschool children with autism spectrum disorder: quantitative analysis of whole-brain tissue component volumes, intelligence scores, ADOS-CSS, and ages of first-word production and walking onset.

BACKGROUND: Preschooling is a critical time for intervention in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); thus, we analyzed brain tissue component volumes (BTCVs) and clinical indicators in preschool children with ASD to identify new biomarkers for early screening. METHODS: Eighty preschool children (3-6 years) with ASD were retrospectively included. The whole-brain myelin content (MyC), white matter (WM), gray matter (GM), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and non-WM/GM/MyC/CSF brain component volumes were obtained using synthetic magnetic resonance imaging (SyMRI). Clinical data, such as intelligence scores, autism diagnostic observation schedule-calibrated severity scores, age at first production of single words (AFSW), age at first production of phrases (AFP), and age at walking onset (AWO), were also collected. The correlation between the BTCV and clinical data was evaluated, and the effect of BTCVs on clinical data was assessed by a regression model. RESULTS: WM and GM volumes were positively correlated with intelligence scores (both P < 0.001), but WM and GM did not affect intelligence scores (P = 0.116, P = 0.290). AWO was positively correlated with AFSW and AFP (both P < 0.001). The multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that MyC, AFSW, AFP, and AWO were significantly different (P = 0.005, P < 0.001, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed positive correlations between WM and GM volumes and intelligence scores. Whole-brain MyC affected AFSW, AFP, and AWO in preschool children with ASD. Noninvasive quantification of BTCVs via SyMRI revealed a new visualizable and quantifiable biomarker (abnormal MyC) for early ASD screening in preschool children.

Repression of G protein-coupled receptor family C group 5 member A is associated with pathologic differentiation grade of oral squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: G protein-coupled receptor family C group 5 member A (GPRC5A), a member of G protein-coupled receptor family, has been shown to function as a tumor suppressor in lung tissue. The biological functions of GPRC5A have therefore been linked to lung tissue. However, the biological significance of this gene product remains obscure. In this study, we investigated the expression of GPRC5A proteins in normal oral tissue and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), and we characterized its biological activity in OSCC cell lines. METHODS: Western blot analysis and immunohistochemical staining were used to investigate the expression of GPRC5A in both OSCC cell lines and clinical samples. GPRC5A stable transfectants and their parental OSCC cells were characterized for their biological activities in anchorage-independent growth. RESULTS: High levels of immunohistochemical GPRC5A expression were detected in normal oral tissue, especially differentiated area. In contrast, GPRC5A expression was dramatically repressed in OSCCs (P < 0.01). The immunohistochemical GPRC5A expression was moderately well differentiated, but greatly repressed in moderately differentiated OSCCs and completely repressed in poorly differentiated OSCCs. Overexpression of GPRC5A in OSCC CAL27 cells resulted in a suppressed anchorage-independent growth activity, a transforming phenotype. CONCLUSIONS: GPRC5A is expressed in normal oral epithelium. Repression of GPRC5A is associated with poorly differential grade of OSCCs. Overexpression of GPRC5A in OSCC cell line reversed the malignant phenotype. Thus, GPRC5A is important for homeostasis in oral tissue, and deletion or repression of this gene may involve in tumorigenesis of OSCCs and may serve as a prognostic marker for malignant type of OSCCs.

Diversity characterization of bacteria and fungi in water, sediments and biofilms from Songhua River in Northeast China.

Water, sediments, and biofilms are the typical microbial carriers in natural water environments. However, comparative analysis of the distribution of bacterial and fungal communities in different carriers within the same habitat is relatively lacking. Therefore, this study employed 16 S and ITS rRNA gene sequencing to identify bacterial and fungal community structures in water, sediments, and biofilm. The results show that (1) the OTUs numbers revealed that the bacterial abundance, at the levels of species, genus, and family, followed the order of sediments > water > biofilms, while the fungal abundance order was water > sediments > biofilms. In addition, bacteria were mainly present in sediments, while fungi were mainly present in water. (2) The α diversity index (Shannon, ACE, Simpson, and Chao1) order, for bacteria was: sediments > water > biofilms, indicating that the diversity and homogeneity of bacteria in sediments were relatively higher; for fungi was: water > sediments > biofilms, indicating that the diversity and abundance of fungi in water were high. (3) The core phylum of bacterial in the water, sediments, and biofilms was Cyanobacteria (31.3-46.1%) and Actinobacteria (27.6-36.1%); Proteobacteria (35.0-41.8%), Cyanobacteria (14.7-36.6%); and Proteobacteria (63.3-69.2%), respectively. (4) The mainly colonized fungal phyla in biofilms in the water, sediments, and biofilms were Basidiomycota (29.3-38.7%) and Ascomycota (16.2-27.7%); Zygomycota (13.1-17.5%), Basidiomycota (5.6-17.6%); and Zygomycota (23.8-44.2%). (5) There were significant species differences in bacterial and fungal communities in water, sediments, and biofilm by NMDS analysis. Findings are useful for guiding significance for the Biogeochemical cycle of elements, the environmental fate of pollutants, and the study of water ecosystems.

Occurrence and Health Risk Assessment of Sulfonamide Antibiotics in Different Freshwater Fish in Northeast China.

This study aimed to investigate the levels of 12 sulfonamide antibiotics in freshwater fish species obtained from three cities in northeastern China (Harbin, Changchun, and Shenyang). The analysis was conducted using HPLC-MS/MS to accurately quantify the antibiotic concentrations in the fish samples. The results showed that the average levels of sulfonamide antibiotics in fish samples from Harbin, Changchun, and Shenyang were 1.83 ng/g ww, 0.98 ng/g ww, and 1.60 ng/g ww, respectively. Sulfamethoxazole displayed the highest levels and detection rates in all three cities, whereas sulphapyridine exhibited the lowest concentrations in all the fish samples. The levels of sulfonamide antibiotic residues in the different fish species varied widely among the cities, and the highest level of antibiotic residues was found in the muscle of carnivorous fish. The results from a health risk evaluation on the consumption of these fish indicated that the risk from long-term antibiotic exposure to local residents from the intake of the sampled fish was small and not sufficient to pose a significant health risk to consumers.

Occurrence, Bioaccumulation, Metabolism and Ecotoxicity of Fluoroquinolones in the Aquatic Environment: A Review.

In recent years, there has been growing concern about antibiotic contamination in water bodies, particularly the widespread presence of fluoroquinolones (FQs), which pose a serious threat to ecosystems due to their extensive use and the phenomenon of "pseudo-persistence". This article provides a comprehensive review of the literature on FQs in water bodies, summarizing and analyzing contamination levels of FQs in global surface water over the past three years, as well as the bioaccumulation and metabolism patterns of FQs in aquatic organisms, their ecological toxicity, and the influencing factors. The results show that FQs contamination is widespread in surface water across the surveyed 32 countries, with ciprofloxacin and norfloxacin being the most heavy contaminants. Furthermore, contamination levels are generally higher in developing and developed countries. It has been observed that compound types, species, and environmental factors influence the bioaccumulation, metabolism, and toxicity of FQs in aquatic organisms. FQs tend to accumulate more in organisms with higher lipid content, and toxicity experiments have shown that FQs exhibit the highest toxicity to bacteria and the weakest toxicity to mollusk. This article summarizes and analyzes the current research status and shortcomings of FQs, providing guidance and theoretical support for future research directions.

Myoendothelial coupling is unidirectional in guinea pig spiral modiolar arteries.

Gap junctions (GJs) facilitate communication and promote transfer of signaling molecules or current between adjacent cells in various organs to coordinate cellular activity. In arteries, homocellular GJs are present between adjacent smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and between adjacent endothelial cells (ECs), whilst many arteries also exhibit heterocellular GJs between SMCs and ECs. To test the hypothesis that there is differential cell coupling in guinea pig spiral modiolar arteries (SMA), we used intracellular recording technique to record cellular activities simultaneously in ECs or SMCs in acutely isolated guinea pig SMA preparations. Cell types were identified by injection of a fluorescent dye, propidium iodide (PI), through recording microelectrodes. Stable intracellular recordings were made in 120 cells among which 61 were identified as SMCs and 28 as ECs. Dual intracellular recordings were conducted to detect the coexistence of the two distinct levels of resting potential (RP) and to estimate the intensity of electrical coupling between two cells by a current pulse of up to 0.5-1.5 nA. The electrotonic potential was detected not only in the current-injected cell, but also in the majority of non-injected cells. The electrical coupling ratios (ECRs) of homocellular cells were not significant (P>0.05) (0.084±0.032 (n=6) and 0.069±0.031 (n=7) for EC-EC and SMC-SMC pairs, respectively). By contrast, the ECRs of heterocellular cells were significantly different when a current pulse (1.5 nA, 2s) was injected into EC and SMC respectively (0.072±0.025 for EC; 0.003±0.001 for SMC, n=5, P<0.01). The putative gap junction blocker 18ß-glycyrrhetinic acid significantly attenuated electrical coupling in both homocellular and heterocellular forms. The results suggest that homocellular GJs within SMCs or ECs are well coordinated but myoendothelial couplings between ECs and SMCs are unidirectional.