Phosphorus removal from water by the metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)-based adsorbents: A review for structure, mechanism, and current progress.

Efficacious phosphate removal is essential for mitigating eutrophication in aquatic ecosystems and complying with increasingly stringent phosphate emission regulations. Chemical adsorption, characterized by simplicity, prominent treatment efficiency, and convenient recovery, is extensively employed for profound phosphorus removal. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)-derived metal/carbon composites, surpassing the limitations of separate components, exhibit synergistic effects, rendering them tremendously promising for environmental remediation. This comprehensive review systematically summarizes MOFs-based materials' properties and their structure-property relationships tailored for phosphate adsorption, thereby enhancing specificity towards phosphate. Furthermore, it elucidates the primary mechanisms influencing phosphate adsorption by MOFs-based composites. Additionally, the review introduces strategies for designing and synthesizing efficacious phosphorus capture and regeneration materials. Lastly, it discusses and illuminates future research challenges and prospects in this field. This summary provides novel insights for future research on superlative MOFs-based adsorbents for phosphate removal.

Transition Routes of Electrokinetic Flow in a Divergent Microchannel with Bending Walls.

Electrokinetic flow can be generated as a highly coupled phenomenon among velocity fields, electric conductivity fields, and electric fields. It can exhibit different responses to AC electric fields in different frequency regimes, according to different instability/receptivity mechanisms. In this investigation, by both flow visualization and single-point laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) method, the response of AC electrokinetic flow and the transition routes towards chaos and turbulence have been experimentally investigated. It is found, when the AC frequency ff>30 Hz, the interface responds at both the neutral frequency of the basic flow and the AC frequency. However, when ff≥30 Hz, the interface responds only at the neutral frequency of the basic flow. Both periodic doubling and subcritical bifurcations have been observed in the transition of AC electrokinetic flow. We hope the current investigation can promote our current understanding of the ultrafast transition process of electrokinetic flow from laminar state to turbulence.

The Mechanism of Dynamic Interaction between Doxorubicin and Calf Thymus DNA at the Single-Molecule Level Based on Confocal Raman Spectroscopy.

It is of great fundamental significance and practical application to understand the binding sites and dynamic process of the interaction between doxorubicin (DOX) and DNA molecules. Based on the Confocal Raman spectroscopy, the interaction between DOX and calf thymus DNA has been systemically investigated, and some meaningful findings have been found. DOX molecules can not only interact with all four bases of DNA molecules, i.e., adenine, thymine, cytosine, guanine, and phosphate, but also affect the DNA conformation. Meanwhile, the binding site of DOX and its derivatives such as daunorubicin and epirubicin is certain. Furthermore, the interaction between DOX and DNA molecules is a dynamic process since the intensities of each characteristic peaks of the base, e.g., adenine, cytosine, and phosphate, are all regularly changed with the interaction time. Finally, a dynamic mechanism model of the interaction between DOX and DNA molecules is proposed; that is, there are two kinds of interaction between DOX and DNA molecules: DOX-DNA acts to form a complex, and DOX-DOX acts to form a multimer. The two effects are competitive, as the former compresses DNA molecules, and the latter decompresses these DNA molecules. This work is helpful for accurately understanding and developing new drugs and pathways to improve and treat DOX-induced cytotoxicity and cardiotoxicity.

Optimization of cationic polymer-mediated transfection for RNA interference.

Transfection efficiency was estimated to optimize the conditions for RNA interference (RNAi), including transfection time, validity, and nucleic acid concentration and type, using the EZ Trans Cell Reagent, a cationic polymer. An shRNA against GFP was designed and transfected into cells using the EZ transfection reagent. The shRNA significantly decreased the expression of GFP. In addition, pre-diluted transfection reagent at room temperature and small nucleic acids increased the transfection efficiency, which peaked at 24 h. Compared with circular nucleic acids, linear nucleic acids showed higher transfection efficiency and a higher genome integration rate. We optimized cationic polymer-mediated RNAi conditions, and our data will be useful for future RNAi studies.

Saccharide-Functionalized Poly(Zn-salphen)-alt-(m- and p-phenyleneethynylene)s as Dynamic Helical Metallopolymers.

The study of metallopolymers with controllable helical sense remains in its infancy. We report arabinose-functionalized (Zn-salphen)-based conjugated polymers that display mirror-image circular dichroism spectra for L- and D-sugar sidechains respectively, signifying ordered (helical) coiling of the polymer backbone with opposite screw-sense preferences. The observation of different spectroscopic behavior and Cotton effects for a variety of solvents (in a reversible manner) and temperatures, ascribed to changes in the extent of intrachain (Zn⋅⋅⋅O(salphen) and π-stacking) interactions between Zn-salphen moieties, thus indicate the flexible, responsive and dynamic nature of the folded helical conformation in these systems. An application study signifying that activity can be governed by the structure and helical sense of the polymer is described.

Numerical Simulation of the Photobleaching Process in Laser-Induced Fluorescence Photobleaching Anemometer.

At present, a novel flow diagnostic technique for micro/nanofluidics velocity measurement-laser-induced fluorescence photobleaching anemometer (LIFPA)-has been developed and successfully applied in broad areas, e.g., electrokinetic turbulence in micromixers and AC electroosmotic flow. Nevertheless, in previous investigations, to qualitatively reveal the dynamics of the photobleaching process of LIFPA, an approximation of uniform laser distribution was applied. This is different from the actual condition where the laser power density distribution is normally Gaussian. In this investigation, we numerically studied the photobleaching process of fluorescent dye in the laser focus region, according to the convection-diffusion reaction equation. The profiles of effective dye concentration and fluorescence were elucidated. The relationship between the commonly used photobleaching time constant obtained by experiments and the photochemical reaction coefficient is revealed. With the established model, we further discuss the effective spatial resolution of LIFPA and study the influence of the detection region of fluorescence on the performance of the LIFPA system. It is found that at sufficiently high excitation laser power density, LIFPA can even achieve a super-resolution that breaks the limit of optical diffraction. We hope the current investigation can reveal the photobleaching process of fluorescent dye under high laser power density illumination, to enhance our understanding of fluorescent dynamics and photochemistry and develop more powerful photobleaching-related flow diagnostic techniques.

Immunoglobulin D-λ/λ biclonal multiple myeloma: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Immunoglobulin D (IgD) multiple myeloma (MM) is a rare subtype of MM and commonly occurs in younger subjects but at a later stage of the International Staging System (ISS) when admitted. As a special type of IgD myeloma, IgD-λ/λ biclonal MM is rarer. Its serum protein electrophoresis and serum immuno-fixation electrophoresis (IFE) might find no anomalies even if the bone marrow (BM) examination is performed. Thus, it is easy to miss the diagnosis. CASE SUMMARY: A 62-year-old man diagnosed as IgD-λ/λ myeloma (ISS stage III) was admitted with fatigue and weight loss. The physical examination suggested an anemic face, a few moist rales at the left lung base, and mild concave edema in both lower extremities. Laboratory examinations showed the elevated creatinine levels, ß2-microglobulin, lactic dehydrogenase, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate, while the decreased neutrophils, granulocytes, and hemoglobin. In the serum protein electrophoresis, there appeared two inconspicuous M-spikes. Serum IFE indicated an over-representation of lambda light chain and yielded two monoclonal bands in λ region, but only one corresponding heavy chain band in the antisera to IgD region. The BM histology and BM cytology both supported the diagnosis of IgD-λ/λ myeloma. CONCLUSION: This case highlights the differential clinical manifestations and laboratory findings of IgD-λ/λ myeloma to help minimize the chance of misdiagnosis.

Primary pulmonary plasmacytoma accompanied by overlap syndrome: A case report and review of the literature.

BACKGROUND: Extramedullary plasmacytoma (EMP) is a rare kind of soft tissue plasma cell neoplasm without bone marrow involvement; this type of plasma cell neoplasm involves a lack of other systemic characteristics of multiple myeloma. Primary pulmonary plasmacytoma (PPP), with no specific clinical manifestations, is an exceedingly rare type of EMP. Because of its complexity, PPP is often difficult to diagnose, and there is no report in the literature on cases accompanied by overlap syndrome (OS). CASE SUMMARY: A 61-year-old woman without a familial lung cancer history was admitted to our hospital in 2018, for intermittent cough, expectoration, and a stuffy feeling in the chest for 50 years; these symptoms appeared intermittently, especially occurred after being cold, and had been aggravated for the last 10 d. She was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema, bronchiectasis, OS, and autoimmune hepatic cirrhosis in 2017. A pulmonary examination revealed rough breath sounds in both lungs; other physical examinations found no obvious abnormalities. A routine laboratory work-up showed decreased haemoglobin, increased ESR, and abnormal GGT, ALT, IgG, γ-globulin, κ-light chain, λ-light chain, rheumatoid factor, and autoimmune antibodies. Emission computed tomography demonstrated abnormally concentrated 99mTc-MDP. Chest computed tomography revealed a soft tissue mass in the middle and lower lobes of the right lung. After right middle and inferior lobe resection with complete mediastinal lymph node dissection, immunohistochemical analysis revealed an isolated pulmonary plasmacytoma. The patient received chemotherapy for more than 1.5 years and remains in good general condition. CONCLUSION: PPP is a type of EMP, and we report an exceedingly rare presentation of PPP accompanied by OS.

Effects of O-1602 and CBD on TNBS-induced colonic disturbances.

BACKGROUND: This study attempted to provide the effects and mechanisms of two cannabinoids, O-1602 and cannabidiol (CBD), on colonic motility of 2,4,6-trinitro-benzene sulfonic acid (TNBS) colitis. METHODS: TNBS was used to induce the model of motility disorder. G protein-coupled receptor 55 (GPR55) expression was detected using real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry in colon. Pro-inflammatory cytokines and myeloperoxidase were also measured. The colonic motility was measured by upper GI transit in vivo and recorded using electrical stimulation organ bath technique in vitro. Freshly isolated smooth muscle from the rat colon were applied to determine the membrane potential and Ca2+ -ATPase activity, respectively. KEY RESULTS: CBD or O-1602 separately improved inflammatory conditions significantly in TNBS-induced colitis rats. However, sole CBD pretreatment reduced GPR55 expression, which was up-regulated in TNBS colitis. O-1602 and CBD each lowered MPO and IL-6 levels remarkably in TNBS colitis, while TNF-α levels experienced no change. CBD rescued the downward colonic motility in TNBS colitis in vivo; however, it decreased the upward contraction of the smooth muscle strip under electrical stimulation in vitro. Pretreatment with CBD prevented against TNBS-induced changes of Ca2+ -ATPase activity of smooth muscle cells. However, membrane potential of the smooth muscle cells decreased by TNBS experienced no change after O-1602 or CBD import. CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES: The present study suggested that CBD participated in the regulation of colonic motility in rats, and the mechanisms may be involved in the regulation of inlammatory factors and Ca2+ -ATPase activity through GPR55.

Toxic effects of the Emamectin Benzoate exposure on cultured human bronchial epithelial (16HBE) cells.

Pesticides pollution has caused serious environmental problems in recent years, and mounting evidence has shown that more and more insecticides have serious risk in human health. Emamectin Benzoate formally regarded as a highly safety insecticide based on its exclusive targets, but the cytotoxicity to human lung was ignored for a long time. In the present study, bioassay experiments were used to assess the toxicity of the Emamectin Benzoatein on human non-target cells including cell viability assay, DNA damage assay, flow cytometer assay and western blotting assay. The results indicated that Emamectin Benzoatecan cause the inhibition of the proliferation, cytochrome c release, activation of caspase-3/9 and increase Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, which means it induced the cytotoxicity on 16HBE cells associated with the mitochondrial apoptosis. Besides, the DNA damge caused by the Emamectin Benzoate suggest it has a potential genotoxic effect on human lung cells.

Authenticity of pulmonary Lophomonas blattarum infection: A case report.

Pulmonary protozoal infections are rare. A 28-year-old woman was admitted to hospital with chief complains of cough, sputum, and dyspnea. The clinical laboratory tests for blood revealed an increased eosinophil percentage of 31.3% and significantly elevated total IgE. The chest computed tomography scan revealed that bilateral bronchial walls were thickening, accompanied with patchy spots scattered throughout bilateral lungs. A suspected multiflagellated protozoan was observed under a light microscope. But some different features were observed by electron microscopy, such as the orientation of flagella and nucleus. Besides, both bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and bronchoscopic brush smears underwent Gram staining and Pap staining, which revealed that numerous respiratory ciliated cells were scattered or accumulated in the sample. Finally, she was diagnosed with eosinophil pneumonia. Metronidazole, bronchodilators, and mucolytics were taken for 5 d and symptoms and pulmonary ventilation function improved. We herein report a case of chronic eosinophilic pneumonia, which was misdiagnosed as multiflagellated protozoan infection, and it is suggested that reliable diagnosis approaches are necessary, rather than clinical symptoms and morphological features.

An aptasensor based on heparin-mimicking hyperbranched polyester with anti-biofouling interface for sensitive thrombin detection.

In this paper, novel heparin-mimicking hyperbranched polyester nanoparticles (HBPE-SO3 NPs) with abundant of sulfonated acid functional groups were synthesized, and their antithrombogenicities were further evaluated. Further, a label-free electrochemical aptamer biosensor (aptasensor) based on HBPE-SO3 NPs modified electrode was developed for thrombin (TB) detection in whole blood. Meanwhile, the anti-biofouling properties of different modified electrodes were studied by whole blood and platelet adhesion test, hemolysis assay and morphological changes of red blood cells in vitro. Besides, the thrombin-binding aptamer was selected as receptor for the proposed aptasensor, which has excellent binding affinity and selectivity for TB. When binding to TB, the electron transfer taking place at the modified electrode interface was inhibited that can attribute to the stereo-hindrance effect, resulting in the decreased current response. This aptasensor showed excellent electrochemical properties with a wide detection range and a low detection limit of 0.031pM (S/N = 3), and provided high selectivity, long-term stability and good reproducibility. Finally, the sensitively detection of TB in whole blood samples directly was achieved by this aptasensor we proposed, which suggested its great potential for TB detection in the clinic.

Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles-Encapsulated Agarose and Heparin as Anticoagulant and Resisting Bacterial Adhesion Coating for Biomedical Silicone.

Silicone catheter has been widely used in peritoneal dialysis. The research missions of improving blood compatibility and the ability of resisting bacterial adhesion of silicone catheter have been implemented for the biomedical requirements. However, most of modification methods of surface modification were only able to develop the blood-contacting biomaterials with good hemocompatibility. It is difficult for the biomaterials to resist bacterial adhesion. Here, agarose was selected to resist bacterial adhesion, and heparin was chosen to improve hemocompatibility of materials. Both of them were loaded into mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs), which were successfully modified on the silicone film surface via electrostatic interaction. Structures of the mesoporous coatings were characterized in detail by dynamic light scattering, transmission electron microscopy, Brunauer-Emmett-Teller surface area, thermogravimetric analysis, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, and water contact angle. Platelet adhesion and aggregation, whole blood contact test, hemolysis and related morphology test of red blood cells, in vitro clotting time tests, and bacterial adhesion assay were performed to evaluate the anticoagulant effect and the ability of resisting bacterial adhesion of the modified silicone films. Results indicated that silicone films modified by MSNs had a good anticoagulant effect and could resist bacterial adhesion. The modified silicone films have potential as blood-contacting biomaterials that were attributed to their biomedical properties.

Gene expression profiling of lung adenocarcinoma in Xuanwei, China.

The morbidity and mortality of lung cancer in Xuanwei, China, are the highest in the world. This study attempts to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to lung adenocarcinoma in Xuanwei. The expression profiles of eight paired lung adenocarcinoma tissues and corresponding nontumor tissues were acquired by microarrays. Functional annotations of DEGs were carried out by bioinformatics analysis. The results of the microarrays were further verified by real-time quantitative PCR (RTq-PCR). A total of 5290 genes were classified as DEGs in lung adenocarcinoma in Xuanwei; 3325 genes were upregulated and 1965 genes were downregulated, whereas the expression of the other 11 970 genes did not change. These DEGs are involved in a wide range of cancer-related processes, which include cell division, cell adhesion, cell proliferation, and DNA replication, and in many pathways such as the p53 signaling pathway, the MAPK pathway, the Jak-STAT signaling pathway, the hedgehog signaling pathway, and the non-small-cell lung cancer pathway. The tendency of changes in the expression of 12 selected DEGs (five downregulated genes, PIK3R1, RARB, HGF, MAPK11, and SESN1, and seven upregulated genes, PAK1, E2F1, CCNE1, EGF, CDC25A, PTTG1, and UHRF1) in RTq-PCR was consistent with the expression profiling data. Expression of PAK1 was significantly increased in the low differentiation group (P=0.031), whereas expression of HGF was significantly decreased in the low differentiation group (P=0.045). RARB and MAPK11 were significantly increased in the nonsmoker group (P=0.033 and 0.040, respectively). A large number of DEGs in lung adenocarcinoma in Xuanwei have been detected, which may enable us to understand the pathogenesis and lay an important foundation for the prevention and treatment of lung adenocarcinoma in Xuanwei.

[Species sensitivity evaluation of Pseudorasbora parva].

Acute toxic effects of cadmium and copper to Pseudorasbora parva and copper to Daphnia magna were tested in this study. Then comparative analysis of species sensitivity of P. parva to six typical pollutants was performed with toxicity data from our experiments and published literatures. The result showed that: (1) P. parva was generally sensitive to various pollutants, especially to organic pollutants, and it was relatively most sensitive to pesticides. P. parva might be an indicator organism in organic pollution monitoring and a representative testing organism in the development of water quality criteria. (2) Cyprinidae was sensitive to various pollutants in fish sensitivity distribution, therefore the toxicity data of Cyprinidae should be given more attention in the study of water quality criteria and environmental monitoring. (3) P. parva was sensitive to various pollutants, and it had a stable position in fish sensitivity rank. This study indicated that P. parva might be an ideal indicator organism in environmental monitoring and a potential model organism in water quality criteria considering that it has a small size and is easy to obtain.