High tyrosine threonine kinase expression predicts a poor prognosis: a potential therapeutic target for endometrial carcinoma.

Background: As the most common female malignancy, the incidence and mortality of endometrial carcinoma (EC) continue to increase worldwide. The effects of traditional standard therapy are limited; thus, novel therapeutic strategies urgently need to be developed. We sought to provide prospective targeting insights into EC therapeutics by comprehensively examining and confirming the biological molecular characterization of EC genes. Methods: The molecular characterization of EC genes was integrated and analyzed using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Genotype-Tissue Expression Project (GTEx) databases. The differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, and the abnormal expression of some core cell-cycle proteins in the EC specimens was determined by examining and integrating the TCGA and GTEx data. The enriched signaling pathways involved in tumor progression were also examined. Results: Immunohistochemical staining data from the Human Protein Atlas database showed that the differential expression levels of the cyclin dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (CDKN2A) and tyrosine threonine kinase (TTK) molecules, and the high messenger ribonucleic acid (RNA) levels of CDKN2A and TTK were associated with a poor prognosis in EC patients. High TTK expression was also significantly correlated with the tumor progression associated signaling pathways, such as the cell-cycle, nucleolus, and RNA processing pathways. The inhibition of TTK expression by a TTK inhibitor (NTRC0066-0) significantly suppressed the proliferation of the EC cells and synergistically increased the sensitivity of the EN and AN3-CA EC cell lines. Conclusions: The findings suggest that the TTK inhibitor could be used in EC therapy. This study highlighted the potential predictive role of TTK molecules and showed that TTK molecules might serve as prospective targets for EC therapy.

[Inhibition of Low Molecular Organic Acids on the Activity of Acidithiobacillus Species and Its Effect on the Removal of Heavy Metals from Contaminated Soil].

Application of organic fertilizer can reduce the solubility and bioavailability of heavy metals in contaminated soil, but in the flooded anaerobic environment, organic fertilizer will be decomposed to produce a large number of low molecular organic acids, which can inhibit the biological activity of Acidithiobacillus species. Batch cultures studies showed that the monocarboxylic organic acids including formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid exhibited a marked toxicity to Acidithiobacillus species, as indicated by that 90% of inhibitory rate for Fe2 and So oxidation in 72 h were achieved at extremely low concentrations of 41.2 mg · L⁻¹, 78.3 mg · L⁻¹, 43.2 mg · L⁻¹, 123.4 mg · L⁻¹ and 81.9 mg 230. 4 mg · L⁻¹, 170.1 mg · L⁻¹, 123.4 mg · L⁻¹ respectively. Of these organic acids, formic acid was the most toxic one as indicated by that Fe2 and So oxidation was almost entirely inhibited at a low concentration. In addition, it was found that Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans was more sensitive to low molecular organic acids than Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans. What's more, there was little effect on biological acidification process of heavy metal contaminated soil when organic acids were added at initial stage (Oh), but it was completely inhibited when these acids were added after 12 h of conventional biological acidification, thus decreasing the efficiency of heavy metals dissolution from soil.

[Photochemical degradation of landfill leachate facilitated by combined schwertmannite and H2O2].

It is practically important that high concentrations of organic pollutants in landfill leachate were degraded by a rapid and efficient approach. The influence of operating conditions such as schwertmannite dosage, V(H2O2)/m (schwertmannite) ratio on the degradation efficiency of color, TOC and COD contents of landfill leachate, was investigated by using the schwertmannite/H2O2/UV process. It was demonstrated that the color, TOC and COD removal efficiencies increased significantly with the increase in schwertmannite dosage, and then were approximately stable. However, COD removal efficiency declined because of the presence of the residual H2O2 when V (H2O2)/m (schwertmannite) was greater than 2, and the best removal efficiency of COD was 44.9%. Furthermore, high-intensity ultraviolet was more conducive to eliminate pollutants through photochemical oxidation with schwertmannite/H2O2. The color, TOC and COD removal efficiencies were 90.0%, 78.8% and 52.6% respectively after 2.5 hours of photochemical degradation, with UV-500 W under optimal initial pH = 2.5; meanwhile, this study found that it was beneficial to the photochemical degradation of leachate at room temperature via the schwertmannite/H2O2/UV process, and COD removal efficiency declined gradually when the temperature was higher than 25 degrees C. Controlled trials showed that the schwertmannite/H2O2 method was conducive to the removal of color compared with the traditional homogeneous Fenton reaction.

[Effect of temperature on activity of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidan and formation of biogenic secondary iron minerals].

In this study, batch experiments were performed to investigate the effect of temperature on the Fe (II) oxidation and the formation of biogenic secondary iron minerals by Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidan. Results showed that the low temperature significantly inhibited the oxidation activity of A. ferrooxidan. In the FeSO4-H2O biological oxidation system facilitated by A. ferrooxidan, it was found that after 5 days culture, the oxidation rates of Fe (II) in treatments of 10 degrees C and 28 degrees C were 11.81% and 100%, respectively. In addition, it rapidly rose to 95.10% when the temperature was adjusted from 10 degrees C (cultured for 7 days) to 28 degrees C in 1 day, and the maximum oxidation rates were as follows: 10 degrees C (cultured for 7 days) +28 degrees C (2.25 h(-1)) > 28 degrees C (1.42 h(-1)) >10 degrees C (0.81 h(-1)). Furthermore, the XRD patterns showed that the lower Fe (III) supply rate was more conducive to the formation of amorphous schwertmannite in 9K medium at 10 degrees C. Correspondingly, the generation of amorphous schwertmannite was preceded to ihleite at 28 degrees C, and the crystallinity degree of ihleite was getting better with the extension of culture time. Combined with the SEM characteristics, it was judged that the 28 degrees C sample contained jarosite and schwertmannite.

[Removal efficiency of C and N in micro-polluted river through a subsurface-horizontal flow constructed wetlands].

A subsurface-horizontal flow constructed wetlands (CWs) planted with reed was used to treat micro-polluted river water in this study with an aim to investigate the long-term treatment efficiency of CWs especially for organic C and N. Average data obtained from two-year plant growth season showed that performance of the wetlands appeared to be affected by both establishment/maturation factors and year-to-year climatic variations. The results displayed that the removal of C and N in the influent depended, to a certain extend, on plant growth and seasonal variations, especially for total N removal. It was observed that C removal occurred mainly in the front of CWs in the first-year's operation period and then was translocated to the rear end of wetlands in the second-year's operation period. C/N ratio in the influent was 5 or more, indicating enough C source supply for denitrification. Organic C removal efficiencies varied from 6.10% to 37.83% throughout the trial. Average total N removal efficiency of 15.51% in the first-year operation period and then declined to 8.61% in the second year. The highest removal efficiency of total N was below 40% throughout the two-year trial. It was found that nitrification and denitrification reached dynamic equilibrium at the middle of the wetlands where the highest total N removal efficiency occurred. The greatest oxygen consumption was observed in the front and middle of CWs. It was noted that nitrification occurred even in deep layer located in the rear end of the wetlands in the second-year operation period. Nitrification and denitrification occurred concurrently with C and total N removal along the stream way. Low-molecular-weight organic acids released from reed rhizosphere seemed to have a significant inhibitory effect on chemoautrophic nitrifying bacteria, which involved in nitrogen removal efficiency of the wetlands, particularly during spring and autumn.

[Content and its major influencing factors of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in municipal sewage sludge of Jiangsu Province].

Sewage sludge from 21 representative sewage treatment plants of Jiangsu Provice were measured for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) using HPLC. Results showed that PAHs were widely distributed in municipal sewage sludges. Total amount of PAHs (sigma PAHs, 16 PAHs in the priority contaminants of US EPA )ranged from 11.68 mg x kg(-1) to 169.91 mg x kg(-1), depending on sludge origins. Total concentration of carcinogenic PAHs was 1.17 mg x kg(-1) to 41.03 mg x kg(-1) with an average value of 6.59 mg x kg(-1). Total amount of PAHs classified as a priority contaminants in the light of regulations of EPA China was from 4.07 mg x kg(-1) to 59.06 mg x kg(-1). PAH Compounds with two or three benzene rings were dominant among the 7-16 PAHs found in the sludge, while the percentage of compounds containing four to six benzene rings was low. Naphthalin was the main PAHs' compounds in the selected municipal sludg. The concentration of BaP, a strong carcinogenic PAH, was found in sludge with 0-2.20 mg x kg(-1) and the average of 0.15 mg x kg(-1), which was much less than 3.0 mg x kg(-1) of the control standard of sludge land application. Furthermore, it was also noted that wastewater types, sewage treatment techniques, and anaerobically sludge digestion had great effects on PAHs contents in sludge.