[Advances in glucocorticoid resistance in otorhinolaryngological diseases].

Glucocorticoids（GC） are widely used in the clinical treatment of autoimmune inner ear diseases, sudden sensorineural hearing loss, Meniere's disease, sinusitis and other otolaryngology diseases. However, GC resistance remains a major factor contributing to the poor efficacy of clinical treatments. The mechanism of GC resistance is still unclear. This paper reviews the related mechanisms of GC resistance from the perspectives of GC receptor factors and non-GC receptor factors. Additionally, it summarizes the latest research progress on GC resistance in otolaryngological diseases, with the aim of identifying effective clinical alternative treatment options for reversing GC resistance in the future.

Biochar-activated peroxydisulfate as an effective process to eliminate pharmaceutical and metabolite in hydrolyzed urine.

Eliminating pharmaceutical active compounds from source-separated urine is essential for nutrient recovery and reducing the contaminant load to wastewater treatment plants. However, limited oxidation treatment processes have shown satisfactory performance due to strong scavenging effect of urine components. This study proposed a heterogeneous catalytic system by combining biochar with peroxydisulfate (PDS), which effectively removed sulfamethoxazole (SMX) and its major human metabolite, N4-acetyl-sulfamethoxazole (NSMX) in urine. The performance of biochar/PDS was investigated in both a complete-mixing reactor and a biochar-packed column. Interestingly, urine components slightly inhibited the degradation of sulfonamides in biochar suspension but significantly improved their removal in biochar-packed column. Further investigation elucidated the PDS activation process and the effects of the main urine components, which explained the different results in biochar suspension and biochar-packed column. The biochar/PDS system mainly produced ·OH radical, singlet oxygen and surface-bound radicals (SBR), which transformed SMX to products of no apprarent antimicrobial properities. A cost-effective two-stage process was designed utilizing SBR as the major reactive species. This study may help to improve the understanding of the catalytic role of biochar and provide cost-effective treatment options for urine.

Reactive Nitrogen Species Mediated Degradation of Estrogenic Disrupting Chemicals by Biochar/Monochloramine in Buffered Water and Synthetic Hydrolyzed Urine.

There is increasing concern about the severe endocrine-related health problems because of the discharge of estrogenic disrupting chemicals (EDCs) into the natural environment. In this study, we investigated the activation of monochloramine (NH2Cl) by biochar [pyrolyzed by cotton straw at 350 °C (Cot350), wheat straw at 350 and 700 °C (WS350 and WS700), and corn straw at 350 and 700 °C (CS350 and CS700)] for the degradation of estradiol (E2) and ethinylestradiol (EE2). Approximately 95% of parent E2 and EE2 was removed by Cot350/NH2Cl in buffered solution, and 87% of E2 and 75% of EE2 were removed in urine within 24 h. Electronic paramagnetic resonance analysis and radical-quenching experiments showed that biochar activated NH2Cl and primarily generated •NO radicals for the degradation of the EDCs. The nitrogen and silicon elements of Cot350 served as primary catalytic sites for NH2Cl activation, whereas the sp2-hybridized carbon on WS700 and CS700 played a major role. The effect of major urine components (i.e., ammonia species, chloride, and bicarbonate) on the reaction pathways of biochar/NH2Cl was also elucidated. This study provides new insights into the reaction pathways of NH2Cl activation by biochar and suggests potential applications for other carbonaceous materials for NH2Cl activation.

Removal of sulfonamide antibiotics and human metabolite by biochar and biochar/H2O2 in synthetic urine.

Source-separated urine has been increasingly regarded as a promising alternative waste-stream for effectively removing pharmaceuticals and human metabolites. This study investigated the removal of sulfonamide antibiotics, one category among the most frequently detected antibiotics in the environment, by biochar and biochar/H2O2 in synthetic urine matrix. The adsorption and degradation of four parent sulfonamide antibiotics, including sulfamethoxazole, sulfadiazine, sulfamethazine, sulfadimethoxine, and one human metabolite, N4-acetyl-sulfamethoxazole (together referred as SAs) were investigated. Biochar derived from cotton straw was applied as adsorbent for SAs and catalyst for H2O2. Results showed that the adsorption of SAs was inhibited in urine compared with that in phosphate buffer solution. Bicarbonate in urine placed major influence. Langmuir isotherm model well described the adsorption process in both buffer and urine matrices. Adsorption and desorption rates were estimated by a kinetic model, which well fitted the removal of SAs from aqueous phase at various biochar doses. The adsorption of SAs on biochar was due to multiple forces, in which van der Waals forces and hydrophobicity played major roles in distinguishing the sorption behavior of different SAs. To destruct the SAs, H2O2 was added with biochar. Except for N4-acetyl-sulfamethoxazole, all the parent SAs can be degraded in urine matrix. Carbonate radical, produced from the activation of peroxymonocarbonate by biochar, was proposed to be the major contributing reactive species in biochar/H2O2 system in urine matrix.