Unlocking the potential of phenolated kraft lignin as a versatile feed additive.

Lignin, a renewable natural antioxidant and bacteriostat, holds promise as a versatile, cost-effective feed additive. However, traditional industrial lignin faces limitations, including low reactivity, poor uniformity, and unstable properties, necessitating chemical modification. Complex modification methods pose economic and toxicity challenges, so this study adopted a relatively simple alkali-catalyzed phenolization approach, using phenol, catechol, and pyrogallol to modify kraft lignin, and characterized the resulting products using various techniques. Subsequently, their antioxidant, antibacterial, adsorption properties for heavy metal ions and mycotoxins, growth-promoting properties, and antiviral abilities were assessed. The phenolation process led to lignin depolymerization and a notable increase in phenolic hydroxyl content, particularly in pyrogallol-phenolated lignin (Py-L), rising from 3.08 to 4.68 mmol/g. These modified lignins exhibited enhanced antioxidant activity, with over 99 % inhibition against E. coli and S. aureus, and remarkable adsorption capacities for heavy metal ions and mycotoxins. Importantly, Py-L improved the growth performance of mice and reduced influenza mortality. Furthermore, density functional theory calculations elucidated the mechanism behind the enhanced antioxidant properties. This study presents a promising avenue for developing versatile feed additives to address challenges related to animal feed antioxidant supplementation, bacterial control, and growth promotion.

Soil pH has a stronger effect than arsenic content on shaping plastisphere bacterial communities in soil.

Microplastic (MP) pollution is widespread in various ecosystems and is colonized by microbes that form biofilms with compositions and functions. However, compared with aquatic environments, the soil environment has been poorly studied in terms of the taxonomic composition of microbial communities and the factors influencing the community structure of microbes in the plastisphere. In the present study, a microcosm experiment was conducted to investigate the plastisphere bacterial communities of MP (polyvinyl chloride, PVC) in soils with different pH (4.62, 6.5, and 7.46) and arsenic (As) contents (13 and 74 mg kg-1). Bacterial communities in the plastisphere were dominated by Proteobacteria and Firmicutes, with distinct compositions and structures compared with soil bacterial communities. Soil pH and As content significantly affected the plastisphere bacterial communities. Constrained analysis of principal coordinates and a structural equation model demonstrated that soil pH had a stronger influence on the dissimilarity and diversity of bacterial communities than did soil As content. Soil pH affected As speciation in soil and on MP. The concentration of dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) was significantly higher on MP than that in soil, indicating that As methylation occurred on MP. These results suggest that environmental fluctuations govern plastisphere bacterial communities with cascading effects on biogeochemical cycling of As in the soil ecosystems.

Effects of Combined Lipid-Lowering Therapy on Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Variability and Cardiovascular Adverse Events in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome.

INTRODUCTION: To investigate the effect of combined lipid-lowering therapy on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) variability and cardiovascular adverse events in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). METHODS: A total of 200 patients with acute coronary syndrome, admitted to the first Hospital of Hebei Medical University from January 2018 to June 2019, were randomly divided into the observation group (100 cases were treated with combined lipid-lowering drugs, including 10 mg/day atorvastatin and 10 mg/day ezetimibe) and the control group (100 cases were given an intensive statin regimen, including 40 mg/day atorvastatin). The levels of blood lipids, creatine kinase (CK), alanine transaminase (ALT), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) were observed and compared between the two groups. Focus was laid on the concentration of the above-mentioned parameters and follow-up results including the drug safety and incidence of cardiovascular adverse events. RESULTS: Before treatment, there was no significant difference in total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), CK, ALT, MMP-9, hsCRP and LDL-C between the two groups (P > 0.05). After 6 months, 12 months and 24 months of treatment, TC, HDL-C, CK, ALT, MMP-9, hsCRP and LDL-C were improved in both groups, and TC, HDL-C, CK, ALT, MMP-9, hsCRP and LDL-C in the observation group elicited greater results than those in the control group with significant difference (P < 0.05). In the course of treatment, the drug safety of the two groups was compared (P > 0.05), and the incidence of cardiovascular adverse events in the observation group was significantly lower than that in the control group (6.59% vs. 11.96%) (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Combination therapy with atorvastatin and ezetimibe potentially provides remarkable effects in terms of treating acute coronary syndrome, controlling the variation of LDL-C, alleviating the inflammatory state and reducing the incidence of cardiovascular adverse events with a safe profile. Combined lipid-lowering drugs are considered valid and alternative approaches for wide clinical practice.

Enhanced As(III) transformation and removal with biochar/SnS2/phosphotungstic acid composites: Synergic effect of overcoming the electronic inertness of biochar and W2O3(AsO4)2 (As(V)-POMs) coprecipitation.

The activation of carbon atoms in biochar is an important approach for realizing the reuse of discarded woody biomass resources. In this work, a strategy for the construction of carbon-based catalysts was proposed with Magnoliaceae root biomass as a carbon source, doped by SnS2 and further decorated with heteropoly acid. The introduction of SnS2 can activate the carbon atom and destroy the electronic inertness of the disordered biochar with 002 planes. In addition, the synergy between the Keggin unit of phosphotungstic acid and biochar/SnS2 can suppress recombination of e--h+ carriers. The adsorption and photocatalysis experiments results showed that the efficiency of removing As(III) by biochar/SnS2/phosphotungstic acid (biochar/SnS2/PTA) systems was 1.5 times that of biochar/SnS2 systems, and the concentration of total arsenic in the biochar/SnS2/PTA composite system gradually decreased during the photocatalysis process. The formation of As-POMs can simultaneously realize As(III) photooxidation and As(V) coprecipitation. The phase transfer of arsenic by As-POMs could significantly increase the As adsorption capacity. Specifically, the composites achieved the conversion of S atoms at the interface of biochar into SO4•- radicals to enhance the As(III) photooxidation performance.

The response of Pyropia haitanensis to inorganic arsenic under laboratory culture.

Up to now, complicated organoarsenicals were mainly identified in marine organisms, suggesting that these organisms play a critical role in arsenic biogeochemical cycling because of low phosphate and relatively high arsenic concentration in the marine environment. However, the response of marine macroalgae to inorganic arsenic remains unknown. In this study, Pyropia haitanensis were exposed to arsenate [As(V)] (0.1, 1, 10, 100 µM) or arsenite [As(III)] (0.1, 1, 10 µM) under laboratory conditions for 3 d. The species of water-soluble arsenic, the total concentration of lipid-soluble and cell residue arsenic of the algae cells was analyzed. As(V) was mainly transformed into oxo-arsenosugar-phosphate, with other arsenic compounds such as monomethylated, As(III), demethylated arsenic and oxo-arsenosugar-glycerol being likely the intermediates of arsenosugar synthesis. When high concentration of As(III) was toxic to P. haitanensis, As(III) entered into the cells and was transformed into less toxic organoarsenicals and As(V). Transcriptome results showed genes involved in DNA replication, mismatch repair, base excision repair, and nucleotide excision repair were up-regulated in the algae cells exposed to 10 µM As(V), and multiple genes involved in glutathione metabolism and photosynthetic were up-regulated by 1 µM As(III). A large number of ABC transporters were down-regulated by As(V) while ten genes related to ABC transporters were up-regulated by As(III), indicating that ABC transporters were involved in transporting As(III) to vacuoles in algae cells. These results indicated that P. haitanensis detoxifies inorganic arsenic via transforming them into organoarsenicals and enhancing the isolation of highly toxic As(III) in vacuoles.

[Molecular mechanism analysis of Erzhi Wan in treatment of aging based on network pharmacology].

This present study aimed to explore the molecular mechanism of Erzhi Wan(a prescription of nourishing Yin and toni-fying liver and kidney) in treatment of aging by network pharmacology. The active constituents and target proteins of Erzhi Wan were searched from Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology Database(TCMSP) and PubChem databases respectively. Aging-related genes were searched from Gene and HAGR databases. Based on the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis(IPA), we analyzed the common molecular network, biological pathway and interaction sites between these two parts, and verified some of them by Western blot. Twelve active constituents of Erzhi Wan were screened by TCMSP databases, 69 protein targets were predicted through PubChem, and 148 aging-related genes were found in Gene and HAGR databases. IPA comparison showed that the molecular networks of these two were complex, with diversity of biological functions. The common pathways involved 292 pathways, mainly related to tumors. They acted on hypoxia inducible factor-1α gene(HIF1α), nuclear factor-E2 related factor(Nrf2/NFE2 L2), tumor necrosis factor(TNF) and other sites. Western blot results suggested that Erzhi Wan could down-regulate the expression of HIF1α, with statistical difference(P<0.05). It was concluded that, Erzhi Wan could intervene aging through improving pseudo-hypoxic microenvironment and inflammation. The molecular mechanism of Erzhi Wan in delaying aging was preliminarily revealed, which laid a foundation for further stu-dying the anti-aging mechanism of Erzhi Wan, and also provided a reference for the compatibility mechanism and extended application of Chinese medicine compounds.

Prognosis of patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma treated with molecularly targeted drugs combined with radiotherapy vs temozolomide monotherapy: A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma (GB) is one of the most common malignancies with limited standard therapies such as surgery, radiotherapy (RT) plus temozolomide (TMZ). Molecularly targeted drugs have been investigated among various clinical trials and are expected to develop in the field of tumor therapy, while the efficacy remains uncertain due to limited previous results. Thus, we focus on the evaluation of molecularly targeted drugs to clarify its overall effectiveness in terms of treating newly diagnosed GB. METHODS: Electronic databases were searched for eligible literatures updated to April 2018. Randomized-controlled trials were included to assess the efficacy and safety of molecularly targeted drugs in patients with newly diagnosed GB. The main outcomes were further calculated including the following parameters: PFS (progression-free survival), OS (overall survival) as well as AEs (adverse events). All data were pooled along with their 95% confidence interval using RevMan software. Sensitivity analyses and heterogeneity were evaluated quantitatively. RESULTS: The combination of molecularly targeted drugs with TMZ + RT had no significant effects on OS (OR = 0.96, 95%CI = 0.89-1.04, P = .36). Meanwhile, the combination regimen significantly improved the PFS of patients with newly diagnosed GB (OR = 0.86 ,95% CI 0.75-0.98, P = .02). The rate of AEs (OR = 1.68,95%CI = 1.44-1.97, P < .00001) was higher in patients receiving molecularly targeted drugs, which was comparable to the contemporary group. CONCLUSION: Longer PFS and a higher rate of AEs were observed with the addition of molecularly targeted drugs to standard chemoradiation in patients harboring newly diagnosed GB. Nevertheless, compared with the control arm, the regimen did not significantly prolong OS.

Accumulation of Heavy Metals in Vegetable Species Planted in Contaminated Soils and the Health Risk Assessment.

The objectives of the present study were to investigate heavy metal accumulation in 22 vegetable species and to assess the human health risks of vegetable consumption. Six vegetable types were cultivated on farmland contaminated with heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn, and As). The target hazard quotient (THQ) method was used to assess the human health risks posed by heavy metals through vegetable consumption. Clear differences were found in the concentrations of heavy metals in edible parts of the different vegetables. The concentrations of heavy metals decreased in the sequence as leafy vegetables > stalk vegetables/root vegetables/solanaceous vegetables > legume vegetables/melon vegetables. The ability of leafy vegetables to uptake and accumulate heavy metals was the highest, and that of melon vegetables was the lowest. This indicated that the low accumulators (melon vegetables) were suitable for being planted on contaminated soil, while the high accumulators (leafy vegetables) were unsuitable. In Shizhuyuan area, China, the total THQ values of adults and children through consumption of vegetables were 4.12 and 5.41, respectively, suggesting that the residents may be facing health risks due to vegetable consumption, and that children were vulnerable to the adverse effects of heavy metal ingestion.

Clinical values of intraoperative indocyanine green fluorescence video angiography with Flow 800 software in cerebrovascular surgery.

BACKGROUND: Microscope-integrated near-infrared indocyanine green video angiography (ICG-VA) has been used in neurosurgery for a decade. This study aimed to assess the value of intraoperative indocyanine green (ICG) video angiography with Flow 800 software in cerebrovascular surgery and to discover its hemodynamic features and changes of cerebrovascular diseases during surgery. METHODS: A total of 87 patients who received ICG-VA during various surgical procedures were enrolled in this study. Among them, 45 cases were cerebral aneurysms, 25 were cerebral arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), and 17 were moyamoya disease (MMD). A surgical microscope integrating an infrared fluorescence module was used to confirm the residual aneurysms and blocking of perforating arteries in aneurysms. Feeder arteries, draining veins, and normal cortical vessels were identified by the time delay color mode of Flow 800 software. Hemodynamic parameters were recorded. All data were analyzed by SPSS version 18.0 (SPSS Inc., USA). T-test was used to analyze the hemodynamic features of AVMs and MMDs, the influence on peripheral cortex after resection in AVMs, and superficial temporal artery to middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA) bypass in MMDs. RESULTS: The visual delay map obtained by Flow 800 software had more advantages than the traditional playback mode in identifying the feeder arteries, draining veins, and their relations to normal cortex vessels. The maximum fluorescence intensity (MFI) and the slope of ICG fluorescence curve of feeder arteries and draining veins were higher than normal peripheral vessels (MFI: 584.24±85.86 vs. 382.94 ± 91.50, slope: 144.95 ± 38.08 vs. 69.20 ± 13.08, P < 0.05). The arteriovenous transit time in AVM was significantly shorter than in normal cortical vessels ((0.60 ± 0.27) vs. (2.08 ± 1.42) seconds, P < 0.05). After resection of AVM, the slope of artery in the cortex increased, which reflected the increased cerebral flow. In patients with MMD, after STA-MCA bypass, cortex perfusion of corresponding branches region increased and local cycle time became shorter. CONCLUSION: Intraoperative ICG video angiography combined with hemodynamic parameter analysis obtained by Flow 800 software appears to be useful for intraoperative monitoring of regional cerebral blood flow in cerebrovascular disease.