Improved photocatalytic oxidation of micropollutant in wastewater by solar light: assisted palladium-doped graphitic carbon nitride.

The escalating global industrial expansion has led to the extensive release of organic compounds into water bodies, resulting in substantial pollution and posing severe threats to both human health and the ecosystem. Among common micropollutants, bisphenol A (MP-BA) has emerged as a significant endocrine-disrupting chemical with potential adverse effects on human health and the environment. This study aims to develop an efficient photocatalyst, specifically by incorporating palladium-doped graphitic carbon nitride (Pd@GCN), to eliminate MP-BA pollutants present in industrial wastewater. The examination of optical properties and photoluminescence indicates that incorporating Pd into GCN enhances the visible light absorption spectra, which extends beyond 570 nm, and accelerates the separation rate of electron-hole pairs. The photocatalytic degradation efficiency of MP-BA increases from 81.7 to 98.8% as the solution pH rises from 5.0 to 9.0. Moreover, Pd@GCN significantly improves the removal rate of MP-BA in wastewater samples, reaching an impressive 92.8% after 60 min of exposure to solar light. Furthermore, the Pd@GCN photocatalyst exhibits notable reusability over six cycles of MP-BA degradation, indicating its promising potential for the treatment of organic pollutants in wastewater under solar light conditions.

Enhanced photodegradation of tetracycline in wastewater and conversion of CO2 by solar light assisted ZnO/g-C3N4.

Synthesized graphitic carbon nitride-based (CN) heterojunction photocatalysts are considered as a promising material for photodegradation of organic compounds and CO2 conversion. In this work, ZnO-loaded g-C3N4 (ZnO/CN) heterojunction photocatalyst was investigated for the enhanced photooxidation of tetracycline (TC) and CO2 conversion . After modification, the photocatalysts showed an improvement in the light absorption range and the photogenerated separation rate of electron/hole due to the heterojunction structure of ZnO/CN. The degradation rate of TC was found to be 92.6% within 60 min, while CO production rate was 7.68 µmol/g/h. The rate constants of TC by using ZnO/CN were 0.0812, 0.0539, 0.0336, 0.0249, and 0.0185 min-1, corresponding to the TC level of 1, 10, 30, 50, and 100 mg/L, respectively. The photodegradation rate of TC by ZnO/CN was 5 times higher than that of CN, demonstrating the advantage of heterojunction photocatalyst. The modified ZnO/CN exhibited superior degradation performance of TC and higher CO2 conversion rate than those of unmodified CN. It also exhibited high stability with 82% removal efficiency of TC at the 6th run and the CO2 conversion rate of 71% after reused 5 times. The heterojunction ZnO/CN can be utilized as an efficient material for various photocatalytic applications.

Relationship between the Change in Body Weight or Body Mass Index and Pulmonary Function

BACKGROUND: Obesity and deterioration of pulmonary function are known to increase all-cause mortality and morbidity associated with chronic diseases. Obesity is a known risk factor for decreasing pulmonary function; however, studies on the effect of changes in body weight or body mass index (BMI) on pulmonary function are rare. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the change in body weight or BMI and the pulmonary function test (PFT) in Koreans who underwent consecutive screening at a health promotion center. METHODS: We enrolled 5,032 patients who underwent consecutive screening health check-ups at a health promotion center in 2015 and 2017. The BMI was calculated as the body weight (kg) divided by the square of the height (m²) in 2015 and 2017. We analyzed the association between the change in body weight or BMI and PFT. RESULTS: In males, PFT and changes in body weight were associated with forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV₁) but not with changes in BMI. In females, FEV₁/forced vital capacity and forced expiratory flow between 25–75% of vital capacity (FEF(25−75%)) were significantly associated with the changes in body weight and BMI. A correlation analysis between body weight and BMI showed a negative correlation with FEF(25−75%) in males. In females, FEV₁/FVC and FEF(25−75%) were negatively correlated. CONCLUSIONS: We observed that the increase in body weight and BMI was significantly associated with pulmonary function. This finding suggests that careful monitoring of body weight and BMI may aid in maintaining proper pulmonary function, thereby, reducing mortality and morbidity.

Relationship between the Change in Body Weight or Body Mass Index and Pulmonary Function

BACKGROUND@#Obesity and deterioration of pulmonary function are known to increase all-cause mortality and morbidity associated with chronic diseases. Obesity is a known risk factor for decreasing pulmonary function; however, studies on the effect of changes in body weight or body mass index (BMI) on pulmonary function are rare. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the change in body weight or BMI and the pulmonary function test (PFT) in Koreans who underwent consecutive screening at a health promotion center.@*METHODS@#We enrolled 5,032 patients who underwent consecutive screening health check-ups at a health promotion center in 2015 and 2017. The BMI was calculated as the body weight (kg) divided by the square of the height (m²) in 2015 and 2017. We analyzed the association between the change in body weight or BMI and PFT.@*RESULTS@#In males, PFT and changes in body weight were associated with forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV₁) but not with changes in BMI. In females, FEV₁/forced vital capacity and forced expiratory flow between 25–75% of vital capacity (FEF(25−75%)) were significantly associated with the changes in body weight and BMI. A correlation analysis between body weight and BMI showed a negative correlation with FEF(25−75%) in males. In females, FEV₁/FVC and FEF(25−75%) were negatively correlated.@*CONCLUSIONS@#We observed that the increase in body weight and BMI was significantly associated with pulmonary function. This finding suggests that careful monitoring of body weight and BMI may aid in maintaining proper pulmonary function, thereby, reducing mortality and morbidity.

A Case of Transfusion Transmitted Hepatitis A Virus Infection Identified Through a Lookback Study / 대한수혈학회지

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is mostly transmitted by the oral-fecal route. However, rare cases of transmission via blood transfusion still exist. A retrospective study was designed to trace a case of transfusion transmitted HAV (TTHAV) infection through the Post Donation Infection (PDI) system in Korea in 2006. We report here on a case of TTHAV that was identified through a lookback study. A 35-year old woman received 6 units of packed red cell transfusion when undergoing Caesarian section in a hospital. Ten days later, she developed a high fever and sore throat. Anorexia and abdominal pain developed in 45 days after transfusion. She was diagnosed with acute tonsillitis at the hospital, and she was not aware of her HAV infection at that time. Then, a donor informed the blood center of his HAV infection 10 days after donation to request his blood be discarded. The recipients of the blood were traced and epidemiological studies lead to the patient, which prompted her serum to be collected and tested. Finally, TTHAV was identified for this patient with positive anti-HAV IgG/IgM results. This is the first case of TTHAV to be identified through the HAV lookback study in Korea.