Nanoarmor: cytoprotection for single living cells.

Single cell modification or hybridization technology has become a popular direction in bioengineering in recent years, with applications in clean energy, environmental stewardship, and sustainable human development. Here, we draw attention to nanoarmor, a representative achievement of cytoprotection and functionalization technology. The fundamental principles of nanoarmor need to be studied with input from multiple disciplines, including biology, chemistry, and material science. In this review, we explain the role of nanoarmor and review progress in its applications. We also discuss three main challenges associated with its development: self-driving ability, heterojunction characteristics, and mineralization formation. Finally, we propose a preliminary classification system for nanoarmor.

Spatial variability, source identification and risks assessment of antibiotics in multimedia of North China's largest freshwater lake using positive matrix factorization and Monte Carlo simulation.

Antibiotics are widely found in aquatic ecosystems and pose a serious threat to human and the ecological system. Samples of surface water (SW), overlying water (OW), pore water (PW) and sediments (Sedi) were collected to investigate the spatial variability, potential sources, ecological risk (RQs) and health risks (HQs) of nine common antibiotics in Baiyangdian Lake using positive matrix factorization (PMF), and Monte Carlo simulation. Significant spatial autocorrelation of most antibiotics were observed in PW and Sedi samples rather than in SW and OW samples, and higher antibiotic levels were found in the northwest of waters and the southwest of sediments. Livestock (26.74-35.57%) and aquaculture (21.62-37.70%) were identified as primary sources of antibiotics in the water and sediments. Norfloxacin and roxithromycin showed high levels of RQ and HQ in more than 50% of samples, respectively. The combined RQ (ΣRQ) in the PW can be used as a sign of across multimedia risk. Notably, appreciable health risks were observed for the combined HQ (ΣHQ) in about 80% of samples, indicating the importance of taking health risk of antibiotics into consideration. The findings of this work provides a reference for antibiotics pollution control and risk management in shallow lake.

Antibiotics affected the bacterial community structure and diversity in pore water and sediments with cultivated Phragmites australis in a typical Chinese shallow lake.

The migration of antibiotics and bacterial communities between sediments and pore water occurring in the lake, which is affected by aquatic vegetation. However, the differences in bacterial community structure and biodiversity between pore water and sediments with plants in lakes under antibiotic stress are still poorly understood. We collected pore water and sediments in both wild and cultivated Phragmites australis regions in the Zaozhadian (ZZD) Lake to explore the characteristics of the bacterial community. Our results showed that the diversity of bacterial community in sediment samples were significantly higher than those in pore water samples in both P. australis regions. Due to higher antibiotic levels in sediments from the cultivated P. australis region, the composition of bacterial communities showed a difference, which reduced the relative abundance of dominant phyla in pore water and increased that in sediments. The higher bacterial variations in pore water could be explained by sediment in the cultivated P. australis region than that in wild P. australis region, therefore plant cultivation might change the source-sink pattern between sediments and pore water. The dominant factors shaping the bacterial communities in the wild P. australis region pore water or sediment were NH4-N, NO3-N, and particle size, while cultivated P. australis region pore water or sediment were oxytetracycline, tetracycline, etc. The findings of this work indicates that the antibiotic pollution caused by planting activities has a greater impact on the bacterial community, which will provide a reference for the use and management of antibiotics in lake ecosystems.

Phytotoxicity of microplastics to the floating plant Spirodela polyrhiza (L.): Plant functional traits and metabolomics.

Freshwater ecosystems are gradually becoming sinks for terrestrial microplastics (MPs), posing a potential ecological risk. Although the effects of MPs on plankton and aquatic animals in freshwater ecosystems have been given increasing attention, the toxicity of MPs to the metabolism of aquatic plants remains unclear. Here, the model aquatic plant Spirodela polyrhiza (L.) Schleid. (S. polyrhiza) was exposed to polyvinyl chloride (PVC; 0, 10, 100 and 1000 mg/L) MPs, and changes in the plant functional traits and physiological metabolism were monitored. The results showed that the high dose of PVC MPs decreased the adventitious root elongation ratio by 41.68% and leaf multiplication ratio by 61.03% of S. polyrhiza, and resulted in the decrease in anthocyanin and nitrogen contents to 63.45% and 84.21% of the control group, respectively. Moreover, the widely targeted metabolomics analysis results showed 37 differential metabolites in the low-dose treatment and 119 differential metabolites in the high-dose treatment. PVC MPs interfered with organic matter accumulation by affecting carbon metabolism, nitrogen metabolism, amino acid metabolism and lipid metabolism, and S. polyrhiza resists PVC MP stress by regulating the synthesis and metabolism of secondary metabolites. PVC MPs had concentration-related toxicological effects on plant functional traits, inhibited plant growth and reproduction, affected plant nutrient metabolism, and exhibited profound effects on the nitrogen fate of aquatic plant habitats. Overall, we systematically summarized the metabolic response mechanisms of aquatic plants to PVC MP stress, providing a new perspective for studying the effects of MPs on plant trait function and ecological risks.

Advances in studies on the plant rhizosphere microorganisms in wetlands: A visualization analysis based on CiteSpace.

Rhizosphere microorganisms and their interactions with plants in wetlands have recently attracted much attention due to their importance in enhancing plant environmental adaptation, removing wetland pollutants, and alleviating climate change. However, the fluctuating hydrological environment of wetlands leads to more complex dynamics in the rhizosphere environment. Research progress and hotspots concerning plant-rhizosphere microorganisms under special wetland environments are still kept unclear. To better understand the current research status, hotspots and trends of rhizosphere microorganisms in wetlands, we used CiteSpace bibliometric software to visualize and analyze 231 English-language publications from the Web of Science core collection database. Here, we reviewed the role played by various countries, institutions, and scholars in the studies of plant rhizosphere microorganisms in wetlands based on cooperation network analysis. We discussed the shift from bioremediation and nutrient removal to rhizosphere microbial community composition as a research hotspot for plant rhizosphere microorganisms in wetlands according to keyword co-occurrence and clustering analysis. Finally, we highlighted that more attention should be paid to the ecological functions of rhizosphere microorganisms in different wetland ecosystems, and the plant‒microbe microinterface processes and interaction patterns should be explored in depth to provide new indicators for the evaluation of wetland ecosystem functions.

Characterizing bacterial communities in Phragmites australis rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere sediments under pressure of antibiotics in a shallow lake.

Introduction: Antibiotics are ubiquitous pollutants and widely found in aquatic ecosystems, which of rhizosphere sediment and rhizosphere bacterial communities had certain correlation. However, the response of bacterial communities in Phragmites australis rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere sediments to antibiotics stress is still poorly understood. Methods: To address this knowledge gap, the samples of rhizosphere (R) and non-rhizosphere (NR) sediments of P. australis were collected to investigate the differences of bacterial communities under the influence of antibiotics and key bacterial species and dominate environmental factors in Baiyangdian (BYD) Lake. Results: The results showed that the contents of norfloxacin (NOR), ciprofloxacin (CIP) and total antibiotics in rhizosphere sediments were significantly higher than that in non-rhizosphere sediments, meanwhile, bacterial communities in non-rhizosphere sediments had significantly higher diversity (Sobs, Shannon, Simpsoneven and PD) than those in rhizosphere sediments. Furthermore, total antibiotics and CIP were found to be the most important factors in bacterial diversity. The majority of the phyla in rhizosphere sediments were Firmicutes, Proteobacteria and Campilobacterota, while Proteobacteria, Chloroflexi was the most abundant phyla followed by Bacteroidota, Actinobacteriota in non-rhizosphere sediments. The dominate factors of shaping the bacterial communities in rhizosphere were total antibiotics, pH, sediment organic matter (SOM), and NH4-N, while dissolved organic carbon (DOC), NO3-N, pH, and water contents (WC) in non-rhizosphere sediments. Discussion: It is suggested that antibiotics may have a substantial effect on bacterial communities in P. australis rhizosphere sediment, which showed potential risk for ARGs selection pressure and dissemination in shallow lake ecosystems.

Optimizing spatial interpolation method and sampling number for predicting cadmium distribution in the largest shallow lake of North China.

Cadmium (Cd) pollution has been widely recognized in lake ecosystems. Although the accurate prediction of the spatial distributions of Cd in lakes is important for controlling Cd pollution, the traditional monitoring methods of setting discrete and limited sampling points cannot actually reflect the continuous spatial distribution characteristics of Cd. In this study, we set up 93 sampling points in Baiyangdian Lake (BYDL), and collected surface water, overlying water and sediment samples from each sampling point. Cd contents were measured to predict their spatial distributions in different environmental components by three interpolation methods, inverse distance weighted (IDW), radial basis function (RBF) and ordinary kriging (OK), and the effects of different sampling numbers on the interpolation accuracy were also assessed to optimize the interpolation method and sampling number. The results showed that the interpolation accuracy of IDW decreased with increasing power values. The best basis function for RBF was IMQ, and the best semivariogram models for OK were the spherical model and stable model. The best interpolation method for the waters and sediments was RBF-IMQ compared with OK and IDW. Within the sampling number range of 50-93, the interpolation accuracy for Cd in surface water increased with the increase in sampling number. Comparatively, the interpolation accuracy was the highest for overlying water and sediments when the sampling number was 60. The findings of this work provide a combined sampling and spatial interpolation method for monitoring the spatial distribution and pollution levels of Cd in the waters and sediments of shallow lakes.

Pathogenic mechanism, detection methods and clinical significance of group B Streptococcus.

Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is the main pathogen of perinatal infection. It can lead to adverse pregnancy, maternal infection, premature delivery, abortion, stillbirth and a series of adverse maternal and infant outcomes such as neonatal sepsis, meningitis or pneumonia during delivery. In order to reduce the infection of perinatal pregnant and the adverse pregnancy outcome, more attention should be paid in the clinical practice, screening efforts, universal detection of GBS infection for pregnant women and preventive treatment for the possible mother infant infection. In this study, the biological characteristics, immunophenotype, major pathogenic mechanism, laboratory test methods and clinical significance of GBS are summarized.

Rhodamine-based ratiometric fluorescence sensing for the detection of mercury(II) in aqueous solution.

Novel ratiometric fluorescent silica nanoparticles with high selectivity towards Hg(2+) were synthesized for the detection of Hg(2+). Hg(2+) promoted the ring opening of spirolactam in the rhodamine moiety grafted onto the silica nanoparticles, resulting in a change in the fluorescence intensity. The fluorescence intensity was proportional to the Hg(2+) concentration, and the detection limit (S/N=3) for Hg(2+) was found to be 2.59 x 10(-9) mol L(-1) with a linear range from 0.4 to 8 x 10(-7) mol L(-1). In addition, the morphology of the silica nanoparticles, the effects of pH and co-existing substances, and the reversibility were investigated. The proposed approach was successfully applied to the determination of Hg(2+) in water samples.

A novel non-enzymatic ECL sensor for glucose using palladium nanoparticles supported on functional carbon nanotubes.

A novel non-enzymatic electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensor based on palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs)-functional carbon nanotubes (FCNTs) was discovered for glucose detection. PdNPs were homogeneously modified on FCNTs using a facile spontaneous redox reaction method. Their morphologies were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Based on ECL experimental results, the PdNPs-FCNTs-Nafion film modified electrode displayed high electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of glucose. The free radicals generated by the glucose oxidation reacted with the luminol anion (LH(-)), and enhanced the ECL signal. Under the optimized conditions, the linear response of ECL intensity to glucose concentration was valid in the range from 0.5 to 40 micromol L(-1) (r(2)=0.9974) with a detection limit (S/N=3) of 0.09 micromol L(-1). In addition, the modified electrode presented high resistance towards the poisoning of chloride ion, high selectivity and long-term stability. In order to verify the sensor reliability, it was applied to the determination of glucose in glucose injection samples. The results indicated that the proposed approach provided a highly sensitive, more facile method with good reproducibility for glucose determination, promising the development of a non-enzymatic ECL glucose sensor.

Solid substrate-room temperature phosphorimetry for the determination of trace lead using p-nitro-phenyl-fluorone-multi-wall carbon nanotubes-Tween-80 micellae compound and diagnosis about human diseases.

The structures of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) were modified by H(2)SO(4)-HNO(3) and H(2)SO(4)-H(2)O(2), respectively. The corresponding products were water-soluble MWNTs-A and MWNTs-B. According to the experiment, it was found that MWNTs-B could emit stable solid substrate-room temperature phosphorescence (RTP) on the surface of paper with Ag(+) as perturber. Under the conditions of 70 degrees C and 15 min, MWNTs-B can react with Tween-80 and p-nitro-phenyl-fluorone (R) to form R-MWNTs-B-Tween-80 micellae compound, which could emit RTP of R and MWNTs-B on the surface of paper, respectively. Pb(2+) could cause the RTP of R and MWNTs-B enhanced sharply, respectively. DeltaI(p) is directly proportional to the content of Pb(2+). A new solid substrate-room temperature phosphorimetry (SS-RTP) for the determination of trace Pb(2+) has been established based on R-MWNTs-B-Tween-80 micellae compound containing double luminescent molecule. The detection limit of this method were 0.035 ag Pb(2+) spot(-1) (8.8 x 10(-17) g Pb(2+) ml(-1), MWNTs-B) and 0.028 ag Pb(2+) spot(-1) (7.1 x 10(-17) g Pb(2+) ml(-1), R). This method is of high sensitivity, good selectivity, high precision and accuracy. It could be applied to determine trace Pb(2+) in serum samples at wavelength of 453.7/623.0 nm (R) or 475.9/645.0 nm (MWNTs-B) with satisfactory results, showing that SS-RTP has flexibility and utility value. Simultaneously, this method can be used to diagnose human diseases. The reaction mechanism for the determination of trace Pb(2+) by SS-RTP based on R-MWNTs-B-Tween-80 micellae compound containing double luminescent molecule was also discussed.