ß-FeOOH/TiO2/cellulose nanocomposite aerogel as a novel heterogeneous photocatalyst for highly efficient photo-Fenton degradation.

The photo-Fenton reaction provides an effective strategy for the removal of organic pollution in water environments. However, it remains a great challenge to develop photo-Fenton catalysts with high photocatalytic activity, low catalyst losses and excellent recyclability. In this work, a ß-FeOOH/TiO2/cellulose nanocomposite aerogel was fabricated as an efficient and convenient heterogeneous catalyst in the photo-Fenton system via in situ synthesis of TiO2 and ß-FeOOH NPs on a cellulose-based aerogel. The cellulose aerogel not only acted as a microreactor to prevent aggregation of particles, but also acted as a supporting material to improve the stability and reusable performance of the catalyst. Meanwhile, the synergy between TiO2 and ß-FeOOH endowed the cellulose-based nanocomposite aerogel with highly efficient photo-Fenton degradation of dyes. As a result, the composite ß-FeOOH/TiO2/cellulose aerogel displayed high photocatalytic performance. Its removal efficiency of MB reached 97.2% under weak UV light for 65 min. There is no obvious decrease in the catalytic efficiency after 5 cycles, suggesting the stability and recyclability of the composite aerogel. This study provides a novel strategy for the preparation of efficient green heterogeneous catalysts by using renewable resources, and shows composite catalyst processes have great potential in wastewater treatment.

Rapid Screening and Identification of Chemical Constituents From Ophiopogon japonicus by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled to Electrospray Ionization and Quadrupole Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry.

Ophiopogon japonicus (Thunb.) Ker-Gawl (Liliaceae), which is named as "Maidong" in China, is widely used in traditional Chinese medicine for treating fever, cough, inflammation, epistaxis, constipation, respiratory disease and gastrointestinal disorders. However, the systematic analysis of chemical constituents of O. japonicus has not been well established because of the complexity and trace. In this paper, an effective and reliable high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization and quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry method was successfully developed to separate and identify the chemical constituents from O. japonicus. As a result, a total of 30 compounds including steroidal saponins, homoisoflavonoids, allylbenzene, cholest and cryptomeridiol were screened or tentatively identified. Of them, three new steroidal saponins were found and tentatively characterized in O. japonicus. This study provides a meaningful material basis for further quality control and pharmacological research.

New minimally invasive option for the treatment of gluteal muscle contracture.

Gluteal muscle contracture is a clinical syndrome that involves contracture and distortion of the gluteal muscles and fascia fibers due to multiple causes. Physical examination demonstrates a characteristic gait due to hip adduction and internal thigh rotation. This study introduces a new minimally invasive method for surgical release of gluteal muscle contracture. Patients with gluteal muscle contracture were assigned to 4 categories: type A, contracture occurred mainly in the iliotibial tract; type B, contracture occurred in the Iliotibial tract and gluteus maximus; type C1, movement of the contraction band was palpable and a snapping sound was audible during squatting; and type C2, movement of the contraction band was not palpable or almost absent and a snapping sound was audible during squatting. This classification method allowed prediction of the anatomic location of these pathological contractures and determination of the type of surgery required. Four critical points were used to define the operative field and served as points to mark a surgical incision smaller than 4 mm. The contracture was easily released in this carefully marked operative field without causing significant neurovascular damage. Over a period of 5 years, between March 2003 and June 2008, the authors treated 1059 patients with this method and achieved excellent outcomes. Most patients were fully active within 12 weeks, with the assistance of an early postoperative rehabilitation program. The most significant complication was a postoperative periarticular hematoma, which occurred in 3 patients within 10 days postoperatively and required surgical ligation of the bleeding vessel.

Angiogenesis-related cytokines in serum of proliferative diabetic retinopathy patients before and after vitrectomy.

AIM: To evaluate serum concentrations of angiogenesis-related cytokines in proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) before and after vitrectomy. METHODS: Serum samples were collected from 30 PDR patients with varying severity before and after vitrectomy. Serum concentrations of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF), interleukin-8 (IL-8) and interferon-inducible protein-10 (IP-10) were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). RESULTS: Serum concentrations of VEGF, PEDF, IL-8 and IP-10 were significantly higher in PDR patients than that in controls, respectively (P<0.05). VEGF concentration decreased significantly in postoperative samples than that in preoperative samples (P<0.05). The concentrations of PEDF, IL-8 and IP-10 did not exhibit significant changes after vitrectomy. CONCLUSION: Elevated cytokines levels in serum may be diagnostically useful in PDR. Angiogenesis-related cytokines play important roles in the development of PDR, and would instruct the risk assessment of pathogenetic condition in PDR patients.