Enhancing the electrochemical properties of TiNb2O7 anodes with SP-CNT binary conductive agents for both liquid and solid state lithium ion batteries.

A high performance oxide composite electrode is obtained with a two-step solid state calcined titanium niobium oxide TiNb2O7 (TNO) anode and super P-carbon nanotube (SP-CNT) binary conductive agents. The solid state synthesized TNO-0.2C (the proportion of CNTs in the binary conductive agent is 20% wt) anode exhibits a high reversible discharge capacity of 278.6 mA h g-1 at 0.5C, a competitive rate capability with reported works that employed wet chemical methods at moderate rates (178.1 mA h g-1 at 10C), and an excellent capacity retention of 92.2% after 200 cycles at 1.5C/1.5C. The enhancement in electrochemical properties of the TNO-0.2C anode is mainly attributed to the combination of the short range and long range conductive agents in the SP-CNT binary conductive system, which guarantees an efficient electronic conductive network. The Li|Li1.3Al0.3Ti1.7(PO4)3 composite polymer electrolyte (LATPCPEs)|TNO-0.2C solid state batteries are also assembled, which deliver a high initial reversible discharge capacity of 241.3 mA h g-1 at 1C and a good capacity retention rate of 93% after 50 cycles. This work provides an efficient way to improve the electrochemical properties of TNO anodes in lithium ion batteries, especially for solid state batteries.

Tuning the D-Band Center of Bi2S3─MoS2 Heterostructure Towards Superior Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries are one of the most promising energy storage devices due to their environmental friendliness, low cost, and high specific capacity. However, the slow electrochemical kinetics and the "shuttle effect" have seriously hindered their commercialization. Herein, the nanoflower Bi2S3─MoS2 (BMS) heterostructure is synthesized by a two-step hydrothermal method, and then the Bi2S3─MoS2-Polypropylene (BMS-PP) interlayer is constructed. The heterostructure is rich in active sites, in which BMS has strong adsorption to lithium polysulfides (LiPSs) and can effectively anchor LiPSs while catalyzing LiPSs and promote the redox of Li2S at the same time, which can improve the utilization of active substances. More importantly, the d-band center can be tuned by the formation of Bi2S3─MoS2 heterostructure. Thus, Li-S batteries containing the BMS-PP interlayer show excellent rate performance (841.6 mAh g-1 at 5 C) and cycling performance (70.3% capacity retention after 500 cycles at 3 C). This work provides a new route for high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries.

Fengshi Liuhe Decoction treatment for rheumatoid arthritis via the Fzd6/NF-κB signaling axis.

To explore whether Fengshi Liuhe Decoction (FLD) alleviates rheumatoid arthritis (RA) via the Fzd6/NF-κB signaling axis. We used real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) and western blotting (WB) to determine the genes of the frizzled (Fzd) protein 1- Fzd protein 10 that are significantly differentially expressed between normal rat fibroblast-like synoviocyte (FLS) and collagen II-induced arthritis (CIA) rat FLS. Next, we used enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to evaluate the levels of inflammatory factors in cell culture supernatant to determine the ability of FLD to ameliorate RA. Finally, we employed WB to detect the key gene expression in protein levels of the Fzd6/NF-κB signaling axis among normal rat FLS, CIA rat FLS, and FLD-treated CIA rat FLS. Our results showed that Fzd6 expression was significantly higher in CIA rat FLS at both the mRNA and protein levels than in normal rat FLS. FLD was found to downregulate Fzd6 and inflammatory factors, including COX-2, IL-8, and TNF-α, at both the mRNA and protein levels. FLD was also found to downregulate the total protein levels of Fzd6 and the NF-κB signaling pathway key gene phosphorylation of p-p65/p65 and p-IκBα/IκBα. Moreover, FLD inhibited the nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 in CIA rat FLS. FLD can alleviate inflammation of CIA rat FLS via the Fzd6/NF-κB signaling axis.

Quorum Sensing Enhances Direct Interspecies Electron Transfer in Anaerobic Methane Production.

Direct interspecies electron transfer (DIET) provides an innovative way to achieve efficient methanogenesis, and this study proposes a new approach to upregulate the DIET pathway by enhancing quorum sensing (QS). Based on long-term reactor performance, QS enhancement achieved more vigorous methanogenesis with 98.7% COD removal efficiency. In the control system, methanogenesis failure occurred at the accumulated acetate of 7420 mg of COD/L and lowered pH of 6.04, and a much lower COD removal of 41.9% was observed. The more significant DIET in QS-enhancing system was supported by higher expression of conductive pili and the c-Cyts cytochrome secretion-related genes, resulting in 12.7- and 10.3-fold improvements. Moreover, QS enhancement also improved the energy production capability, with the increase of F-type and V/A-type ATPase expression by 6.3- and 4.2-fold, and this effect probably provided more energy for nanowires and c-Cyts cytochrome secretion. From the perspective of community structure, QS enhancement increased the abundance of Methanosaeta and Geobacter from 54.3 and 17.6% in the control to 63.0 and 33.8%, respectively. Furthermore, the expression of genes involved in carbon dioxide reduction and alcohol dehydrogenation increased by 0.6- and 7.1-fold, respectively. Taken together, this study indicates the positive effects of QS chemicals to stimulate DIET and advances the understanding of the DIET methanogenesis involved in environments such as anaerobic digesters and sediments.

Insights into electron dynamics in two-dimensional bismuth oxyselenide: a monolayer-bilayer perspective.

Bismuth oxyselenide (Bi2O2Se), an emerging 2D semiconductor material, has garnered substantial attention owing to its remarkable properties, including air stability, elevated carrier mobility, and ultrafast optical response. In this study, we conduct a comparative analysis of electron excitation and relaxation processes in monolayer and bilayer Bi2O2Se. Our findings reveal that monolayer Bi2O2Se exhibits parity-forbidden transitions between the band edges at the Γ point, whereas bilayer Bi2O2Se demonstrates parity activity, providing the bilayer with an advantage in light absorption. Employing nonadiabatic molecular dynamics simulations, we uncover a two-stage hot-electron relaxation process-initially fast followed by slow-in both monolayer and bilayer Bi2O2Se within the conduction band. Despite the presence of weak nonadiabatic coupling between the CBM + 1 and CBM, limiting hot electron relaxation, the monolayer displays a shorter relaxation time due to its higher phonon-coupled frequency and smaller energy difference. Our investigation sheds light on the layer-specific excitation properties of 2D Bi2O2Se layered materials, providing crucial insights for the strategic design of photonic devices utilizing 2D materials.

Digital protractor as an intraoperative guide to cup anteversion in total hip arthroplasty.

INTRODUCTION: To explore if digital protractor could guide the anteversion of acetabular cup during primary THA and make it consistent with preoperative. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 172 cases of primary THA with direct anterior approach (DAA) over 2 years. The anteversion of acetabular cup were measured from computed tomography (CT) scan preoperative and de-identified plain radiographs postoperative by two blinded investigators who were not involved in the surgery. The effect of the digital protractor on the anteversion was determined using regression analysis. RESULTS: The mean anteversion for the THAs in digital protractor group was 15.5°and 21.4°in control group (P < 0.01). The mean anteversion bias for the THAs in digital protractor group was 1.59° and 6.63° in control group (P < 0.01).Regression analysis identified a 10.7% difference in anteversion due to the use of digital protractor (P < 0.01), and THAs performed without digital protractor were six times more likely to result in anteversion of > 25°. The correlation coefficient for the interobserver reliability of the measurement of the two investigators was 0.94. CONCLUSION: The digital protractor is a practical tool in the DAA for THA to determine the anteversion of the acetabular prosthesis.

Enzyme-enhanced acidogenic fermentation of waste activated sludge: Insights from sludge structure, interfaces, and functional microflora.

Anaerobic fermentation is widely installed to recovery valuable resources and energy as CH4 from waste activated sludge (WAS), and its implementation in developing countries is largely restricted by the slow hydrolysis, poor efficiency, and complicate inert components therein. In this study, enzyme-enhanced fermentation was conducted to improve sludge solubilization from 283 to 7728 mg COD/L and to enhance volatile fatty acids (VFAs) yield by 58.6 % as compared to the conventional fermentation. The rapid release of organic carbon species, especially for tryptophan- and tyrosine-like compounds, to outer layer of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) occurred to reduce the structural complexity and improve the sludge biodegradability towards VFAs production. Besides, upon enzymatic pretreatment the simultaneous exposure of hydrophilic and hydrophobic groups on sludge surfaces increased the interfacial hydrophilicity. By quantitative analysis via interfacial thermodynamics and XDLVO theory, it was confirmed that the stronger hydrophilic repulsion and energy barriers in particle interface enhanced interfacial mass transfer and reactions involved in acidogenic fermentation. Meanwhile, these effects stimulate the fermentation functional microflora and predominant microorganism, and the enrichment of the hydrolytic and acid-producing bacteria in metaphase and the proliferation of acetogenic bacteria, e.g., Rubrivivax (+9.4 %), in anaphase also benefits VFAs formation. This study is practically valuable to recovery valuable VFAs as carbon sources and platform chemicals from WAS and agriculture wastes.

Al and Mn speciation changes during the pre-oxidation with potassium permanganate and coagulation removing natural organic matter and its membrane fouling behavior.

In this study, we systematically explore coagulation behavior, ultrafiltration membrane fouling behavior and the mechanism involved in during the process of pre-oxidation of potassium permanganate and coagulation of aluminum chloride at different condition to treat model pollutants (humic acid, HA) and natural water. The KMnO4 pre-oxidation significantly enhances flocs formation, and for HA artificial water the flocs size increases from 82 to 122 µm at pH 5.5, from 63 to 185 µm at pH 7.0 and from 0 to 75 µm at pH 8.5, respectively, as for natural water it increases from 72 to 139 µm. The enhanced coagulation at pH 5.5 is attributed to the increased polymeric Al speciation after pre-oxidation along with the generated Mn2+ damaging the electric double layer structure. And for pH 8.5 it is mainly caused by the in-situ MnO2 as combination nuclei during pre-oxidation. Besides, for pH 7.0, the combined effect of in-situ MnO2 and the increased polymeric Al speciation both contribute to improvement of the coagulation. What's more, the enhanced Al coagulation by pre-oxidation of KMnO4 also helps alleviate the membrane fouling for both HA artificial water and natural water, and a much rougher surface with larger flocs forms after KMnO4-aided Al coagulation filtration. This study provides an alternative perspective on the mechanism of pre-oxidation coagulation process.

Preparation of Self-microemulsion Solids of Kaempferia galanga (L.) Volatile Oil and Its Effect on Rats with Gastric Ulcer.

Kaempferia galanga volatile oil (KVO), the main effective component of the medicinal plant Kaempferia galanga L., possesses a variety of pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-angiogenic activities and has therapeutic potential for gastric ulcer (GU). However, poor solubility as well as instability limits the clinical application of KVO. In this study, K. galanga volatile oil self-microemulsion solids (KVO-SSMEDDS) were prepared to improve its bioavailability and stability, and the therapeutic effects were evaluated in a rat model with GU. The ratio of oil phase, emulsifier, and co-emulsifier in the KVO-SMEDDS prescription were optimized by plotting the pseudo-ternary phase diagram with the star point design-response surface method. Based on the optimal prescription, self-microemulsifying drug delivery system (SMEDDS) was prepared as solid particles (S-SMEDDS). The prepared KVO-SSMEDDS had a rounded and non-adhesive appearance, formed an O/W emulsion after dissolution in water, and had a uniform particle size distribution with good stability and solubility. It was administered to GU model animals, and the results showed that a certain dose of KVO-SSMEDDS solution could increase the content of gastric mucosal protective factors PGE2, TGF-α, and EGF in gastric tissues and serum, and the expression of inflammatory factors IL-8 and TNF-α was downregulated. Meanwhile, the expression of the NF-κB/COX-2 pathway proteins was inhibited. In conclusion, the prepared KVO-SSMEDDS has good dispersion, solubility, and stability and has a therapeutic effect on rats with GU.

A case of lupus miliaris disseminatus faciei.

We present a case of a 25-year-old male patient with lupus miliaris disseminatus faciei, a rare and unexplained skin disease characterised by asymptomatic facial papules. The clinical presentation and histopathological images provided in our study can be used to visualise the features and progression of the disease.

Yolk-Shell Structured ST@Al2 O3 Enables Functional PE Separator with Enhanced Lewis Acid Sites for High-Performance Lithium Metal Batteries.

Commercial polymer separators usually have limited porosity, poor electrolyte wettability, and poor thermal and mechanical stability, which can deteriorate the performance of battery, especially at high current densities. In this work, a functional polyethylene (PE) separator is prepared by surface engineering a layer of Ti-doped SiO2 @Al2 O3 particles (denoted as ST@Al2 O3 -PE) with strong Lewis acid property and uniform porous structure on one side of the PE separator. On the other hand, ST@Al2 O3 particles with abundant pore structures and large cavities can store a large amount of electrolyte, providing a shortened pathway for lithium-ion transport, and the Lewis acid sites and porous structure of the ST@Al2 O3 can tune Li plating/stripping behavior and stabilize the lithium metal anode. The ST@Al2 O3 -PE separators exhibit better ionic conductivity (5.55 mS cm-1 ) and larger lithium-ion transference number (0.62). At a current density of 1 mA cm-2 , Li/Li symmetric cells with ST@Al2 O3 -PE separator can be stably cycled for more than 400 h, and both lithium iron phosphate /Li cells and lithium cobaltate/Li cells with ST@Al2 O3 -PE separator have good cycling and rate performance. This work provides a new strategy for developing functional separators and promoting the application of lithium metal batteries.

Five-Year Physical and Psychosocial Outcomes in Obese Adolescents With and Without Metabolic Bariatric Surgery.

PURPOSE: Metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) is increasingly accepted as a treatment for severely obese adolescents. However, its long-term efficacy and safety are not well characterized, particularly in the Eastern Asian population. We aimed to explore the long-term effects of MBS on Chinese adolescents with severe obesity. METHODS: A total of 44 obese adolescents (≤18 years old) underwent MBS at our institution from May 2011 to May 2017. A matched nonsurgical control group, including 43 patients, was recruited from lifestyle modification programs in the same period. All patients completed assessments at presurgery/baseline and five years after surgery. The data were collected and analyzed using the χ2 test and an independent sample t-test. RESULTS: Comparing the surgical and control groups revealed that the surgical patients showed significant weight loss and improvement in comorbidities, while the nonsurgical patients showed a trend of weight gain and increased comorbidities (p < .05). Furthermore, the surgical patients had a higher composite physical quality of life (as determined by the Short Form-36 questionnaire). On the other hand, the patients who underwent MBS had a higher risk of malnutrition. DISCUSSION: Compared with nonsurgical patients, severely obese adolescents who undergo MBS exhibit more effective long-term weight loss, remission of comorbidities, and improved quality of life. Furthermore, more attention should be paid to helping adolescents avoid malnutrition after they undergo MBS.

Decreased Synovial Fluid Ghrelin Level Is Associated With Acute Cartilage Injury in Patients With Anterior Cruciate Ligament Tear.

Background: Ghrelin, an amino acid hormone secreted primarily from the stomach, can regulate bone metabolism, regulate inflammation via suppressing proinflammatory cytokines, and suppress expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Purpose: To measure synovial fluid levels of ghrelin in young patients with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear to assess the role of ghrelin as a potential biomarker for cartilage injury. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: This study included 120 patients who underwent ACL reconstructionbetween January 1, 2016, and May 31, 2021. We categorized 60 patients with acute cartilage injury (International Cartilage Regeneration & Joint Preservation Society grade 2 or 3) as the acute group and 60 patients with no acute cartilage injury as the nonacute group, with the healthy contralateral knee of each patient acting as the control group (n = 120). Synovial fluid samples were collected from the knees in the operating room before ACL reconstruction. We assessed the inflammatory biomarkers interleukin (IL)-6, MMP-1, MMP-9, and MMP-13, as well as serum ghrelin level and Mankin score, and results were compared between the 3 study groups with the Mann-Whitney U test. Results: Lower serum ghrelin levels in the synovial fluid were found in the acute group compared with the nonacute group and healthy controls (232.4 vs 434.4 vs 421.5 pg/mL, respectively; P < .001). Ghrelin level in the synovial fluid was significantly and positively correlated with IL-6 (r = 0.4223; P < .0001), MMP-13 (r = 0.3402; P < .0001), and Mankin score (r = 0.1453; P = .0244). Conclusion: In patients with ACL injury, ghrelin synovial fluid was significantly differently expressed in patients with cartilage injury and no cartilage injury. Clinical Relevance: Ghrelin synovial fluid has the potential to be a biomarker to predict acute cartilage injury in patients with ACL injury.

Preparation of tanshinone IIA self-soluble microneedles and its inhibition on proliferation of human skin fibroblasts.

Objective: Hypertrophic scars (HS) are a variety of skin tissue fibrosis disease that occurs in human skin, the effective therapeutic method of which is still inaccessible up to now. As a bioactive constituent of a well-known medical plant, Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen in Chinese), tanshinone IIA (TSA) is reported to inhibit cell proliferation in HS. Therefore, the aim of this study was to prepare TSA self-soluble microneedles to strengthen its dermal retention and break through the difficulty of significantly thickening epidermal connective tissue and stratum corneum at the HS site. The possible mechanism of action in suppressing HS was studied using human skin fibroblasts (HSF). Methods: Tanshinone IIA self-dissolving microneedles (TSA-MN) was prepared using a negative mold casting method. The prescription process of microneedle was optimized by Box-Behnken effect surface method. Different media were selected to investigate the ability of transdermal absorption and in vitro release. Furthermore, according to Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8) method as well as the Western blot method, the effect of TSA-MN on the biological characteristics of HSF was investigated. Results: With remarkable slow release effect and dermal retention, the release and transdermal properties of TSA-MN in vitro were better than both TSA and ordinary dosage forms. Its effect of HSF confirmed the essential decrease in cell motility during cell proliferation and cell migration in vitro, which plays a significant role in down-regulating the secretion of transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) in HSF and increasing the expression level of Smad7. Conclusion: The prepared TSA self-soluble microneedles is helpful in solving the problem of hypertrophic scars, with a stable dermal retention effect after process optimization.

Functional Characterization of MC4R Variants in Chinese Morbid Obese Patients and Weight Loss after Bariatric Surgery.

Mutations in MC4R are the most common genetic cause of obesity. In the reported Chinese morbid obesity cohort, 10 out of 59 harbor six MC4R variants, including Y35C, T53I, V103I, R165W, G233S, and C277X, among which V103I has a relatively high frequency, while other five variants are rare in the population. The prevalence of MC4R carriers in Chinese morbid obese patients (body mass index ≥ 45 kg m-2 ) is detected as 16.9% in this study. R165W and C277X are loss-of-function variants. The patient with R165W achieves excess weight loss (%EWL) as high as 20.6% and 50.3% at 1 and 8 months after surgery, respectively. G233S is reported for the first time in Asia obese population. The patient harboring G233S has a %EWL as 23.3% one month postsurgery. It is concluded that morbid obese patients with rare MC4R variants can benefit from metabolic surgery. More importantly, the choice of surgery procedure and MC4R variant should be taken into consideration for personalized treatment. In the future, a larger size cohort, accompanied with regular and longer follow-up, would be helpful.

Catalytic VS2 -VO2 Heterostructure that Enables a Self-Supporting Li2 S Cathode for Superior Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.

Lithium-sulfur batteries (LSBs) have become very promising next-generation energy-storage technologies owing to their high energy densities and cost-effectiveness. However, the poor electrical conductivity of the active material, volume changes that occur during cycling, the "shuttle effect" involving lithium polysulfides (LiPSs), and lithium dendrite growth limit their commercializability. Herein, the preparation of a CC@VS2 -VO2 @Li2 S@C electrode prepared by the in situ growth of a VS2 -VO2 heterostructure on carbon cloth (CC), loaded with Li2 S, and finally coated with a carbon shell, is reported. The cell with the CC@VS2 -VO2 @Li2 S@C cathode exhibits superior cycling stability and rate performance owing to synergy between its various components. The cell delivers a high discharge specific capacity of 919.8 mA g-1 at 0.2 C, with a capacity of 588.9 mAh g-1 retained after 500 cycles with an average capacity attenuation of 0.072% per cycle. The cell exhibits discharge capacities of 937.6, 780.2, 641.9, 541, and 462.8 mAh g-1 at current densities of 0.2, 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 C, respectively. This study provides a new approach for catalyzing LiPS conversion and promoting LSB applications.

A population-based characterization study of anti-mitochondrial M2 antibodies and its consistency with anti-mitochondrial antibodies.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to estimate the prevalence of anti-mitochondrial antibody subtype M2 (AMA-M2) and assess its consistency with AMA in a general population. METHODS: A total of 8954 volunteers were included to screen AMA-M2 using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Sera with AMA-M2 >50 RU/mL were further tested for AMA using an indirect immunofluorescence assay. RESULTS: The population frequency of AMA-M2 positivity was 9.67%, of which 48.04% were males and 51.96% were females. The AMA-M2 positivity in males had a peak and valley value of 7.81% and 16.88% in those aged 40 to 49 and ≥70 years, respectively, whereas it showed a balanced age distribution in females. Transferrin and immunoglobulin M were the risk factors for AMA-M2 positivity and exercise was the only protective factor. Of 155 cases with AMA-M2 >50 RU/mL, 25 cases were AMA-positive, with a female-to-male ratio of 5.25:1. Only 2 people, with very high AMA-M2 of 760 and >800 RU/mL, met the diagnostic criteria of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), making the prevalence of PBC 223.36 per million in southern China. CONCLUSION: We found that AMA-M2 has a low coincidence rate with AMA in the general population. A new decision-making point for AMA-M2 is needed to improve consistency with AMA and diagnostic accuracy.

High efficient removal of 4-aminophenylarsonic acid from aqueous solution via enhanced FeOOH using Mn(VII).

Efficient removal of 4-aminophenylarsonic acid from contaminated water sources is essential to mitigate arsenic pollution. We proposed a competent technique to achieve 4-aminophenylarsonic acid removal via adsorption on enhanced α-FeOOH using various concentrations of Mn(VII). The elimination rate of 4-aminophenylarsonic acid applying FeOOH with Mn(VII) was dependent on acidic conditions. More than 99.9% of 4-aminophenylarsonic acid was eliminated in a 6-min reaction time under acidic conditions. The reaction of 4-aminophenylarsonic acid was fast at 4.0 and 5.0 pH, with its complete oxidation into arsenate and the liberation of manganese Mn(II) in the initial stage of the reaction. Similarly, the reaction rate constant (kobs) decreased from 0.7048 ± 0.02 to 0.00155 ± 0.00007 as the pH increased from 4.0 to 9.0. Oxidation capacity was considerably enhanced via the removal of electrons from 4-aminophenylarsonic acid to Mn(VII) after the creation of its radical intermediate and further change in Mn(III) to Mn(II) in the solution. The results showed that Mn(VII) played a crucial role in 4-aminophenylarsonic acid degradation at a low pH (e.g., 4.0), and the oxidation process proceeded in different manners, namely, electron transfer, hydroxylation, and ring-opening. These results illustrated that Mn(VII) is an effective, economic purification process to mitigate 4-aminophenylarsonic acid generated from poultry waste.

Risk control of antibiotics, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) during sewage sludge treatment and disposal: A review.

Sewage sludge is an important reservoir of antibiotics, antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), and antibiotic resistant bacteria (ARB) in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), and the reclamation of sewage sludge potentially threats human health and environmental safety. Sludge treatment and disposal are expected to control these risks, and this review summarizes the fate and controlling efficiency of antibiotics, ARGs, and ARB in sludge involved in different processes, i.e., disintegration, anaerobic digestion, aerobic composting, drying, pyrolysis, constructed wetland, and land application. Additionally, the analysis and characterization methods of antibiotics, ARGs, and ARB in complicate sludge are reviewed, and the quantitative risk assessment approaches involved in land application are comprehensively discussed. This review benefits process optimization of sludge treatment and disposal, with regard to environmental risks control of antibiotics, ARGs, and ARB in sludge. Furthermore, current research limitations and gaps, e.g., the antibiotic resistance risk assessment in sludge-amended soil, are proposed to advance the future studies.