Delta manganese dioxide nanosheets decorated magnesium wire for the degradation of methyl orange.

MnO2-decorated magnesium wire composite (MnO2-M) was fabricated via a simple hydrothermal reaction and accompanied by the calcination process (MnO2/Mn3O4-M). To clarify the optimized reaction condition of δ-MnO2 in the system, the effect of different pH, temperature and pollutant concentration of methyl orange (MO) for degradation process were investigated. Experimental results showed that MnO2-M achieves a high removal rate of 76% (2h, at 25°C) in the presence of H2O2 at pH 2.5, which is higher than that of MnO2/Mn3O4-M (54%). Moreover, reaction temperature and MO dye concentration have little effect on the degradation performance of MnO2-M. This implies the stability of the as-prepared samples and good potential in the application of wastewater treatment.

Synergistic effect of manganese dioxide and diatomite for fast decolorization and high removal capacity of methyl orange.

MnO2 nanostructures with two different morphologies (nanowires and nanosheets) were uniformly deposited on diatomite via a one-pot hydrothermal method. The fast decolorization and high removal capacity for anionic dye-MO over synthesized composites had been clarified. The results revealed that the equilibrium time was shortened to as low as 10-30min, and the maximum adsorption capacities were 325mgg-1 and 420mgg-1 for nanowires and nanosheets composites, respectively, under the condition of initial pH 3 and ambient temperature. Indeed, the proposed decolorization mechanism was considered to be simultaneous multi-processes during the dye removal, including physical, physicochemical and chemical process. In principle, well-controlled cost-effective composites have promising ability to remove anionic dye pollutants for environmental remediation.

Curcumin Attenuated Bupivacaine-Induced Neurotoxicity in SH-SY5Y Cells Via Activation of the Akt Signaling Pathway.

Bupivacaine is widely used for regional anesthesia, spinal anesthesia, and pain management. However, bupivacaine could cause neuronal injury. Curcumin, a low molecular weight polyphenol, has a variety of bioactivities and may exert neuroprotective effects against damage induced by some stimuli. In the present study, we tested whether curcumin could attenuate bupivacaine-induced neurotoxicity in SH-SY5Y cells. Cell injury was evaluated by examining cell viability, mitochondrial damage and apoptosis. We also investigated the levels of activation of the Akt signaling pathway and the effect of Akt inhibition by triciribine on cell injury following bupivacaine and curcumin treatment. Our findings showed that the bupivacaine treatment could induce neurotoxicity. Pretreatment of the SH-SY5Y cells with curcumin significantly attenuated bupivacaine-induced neurotoxicity. Interestingly, the curcumin treatment increased the levels of Akt phosphorylation. More significantly, the pharmacological inhibition of Akt abolished the cytoprotective effect of curcumin against bupivacaine-induced cell injury. Our data suggest that pretreating SH-SY5Y cells with curcumin provides a protective effect on bupivacaine-induced neuronal injury via activation of the Akt signaling pathway.

Merging of memory effect and anion intercalation: MnOx-decorated MgAl-LDO as a high-performance nano-adsorbent for the removal of methyl orange.

MnOx-decorated MgAl layered double oxide (M-LDO) was fabricated via merging of memory effect and anion intercalation, accompanied by the reduction/calcination process. The as-obtained nanocomposites were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) and N2 adsorption-desorption. To clarify the detailed formation mechanism, optimized calcination temperature/time and temperature for methyl orange (MO) adsorption were investigated. Adsorption experiments showed that the adsorption behaviour fitted well with a Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order model, and the maximum adsorption capacity calculated from the Langmuir model was 555.55 mg g(-1). The adsorption process was exothermic and spontaneous in nature. Moreover, the used adsorbent could be regenerated for at least five cycles (94% removal retained) through a thermal procedure, indicating that the M-LDO hybrid is a promising adsorbent with promising ability to remove anionic dye pollutants from wastewater.